Ruben Arzate

Ruben Arzate was a modest man, quiet and observant in his ways. He was trustworthy and traditional in his approach to his life and in his relationships. He was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also a man who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. Realistic about life, he was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility.

Ruben was born on September 27, 1951 at home in Los Angeles, California. His parents were Edward and Gloria Arzate. Ruben was raised in Los Angeles, California. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.

Growing up in the Arzate household was a bit different than most homes. There were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of challenges as well. However, Ruben was able to work through the usual family problems when they appeared, and he was the one person in the family who seemed able to keep the stress at bay. Ruben was raised with six siblings. He had four older brothers, Junny, Dickie, Pachie and Tini, one older sister Gloria, and one younger brother Carlos. Ruben was constantly involved in activities with his brothers and sisters. Ruben and his siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up but Ruben was always consistently loyal to his family.

As a young child, Ruben was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. He wasn’t pushy and never forced his way into games or other activities. Ruben developed a variety of interests, though, and the things he enjoyed doing he did well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. In his spare time he liked to go with his dad or brothers to the race tracks. He liked to collect mini cars and model cars and to hang out with his friends in the projects. Ruben's memorable achievements included at age 12 he won two school service awards for perfect attendance and game leader. However, what Ruben enjoyed most was simply playing and spending time with his many friends.

While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of Ruben as being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in high school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He graduated from Lincoln High School in Los Angeles, California in 1969. He enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. Hanging out with friends. Ruben was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. Ruben always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though he could easily master any problem that might be presented to him.

Always considered to be a solid friend, Ruben was fortunate to have numerous acquaintances and several very close friends during his life. Since he disliked making generalizations about people and preferred to draw his own conclusions based on direct observation, Ruben was able to see beneath the surface of relationships and became a true friend to those who knew him. He was committed to his friends and valued the trust he placed in them. It was not uncommon for Ruben to go beyond the call of duty for others, and friends frequently sought him out for advice because he had a knack for coming up with practical solutions to any type of dilemma. While growing up, he had many friends. They loved hanging out in the streets of Ramona Gardens.

Ruben greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same in return from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. Ruben enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, Ruben was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. As a young child he loved to work with Rino. He helped him sort and sell scrap metal. He did this till he was an adult. Ruben worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

Ruben liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies, where he was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his private time, Ruben always tried to allocate a specific time for working on his hobbies. His favorite pursuits were collecting tiny metal cars and models. Ruben was content to enjoy his hobbies alone but was also willing to share his interests with others.

Ruben found pleasure in sports. Being a person who was comfortable making win/lose decisions throughout life, he could appreciate that athletes made those types of decisions in sports. He applauded those who won, and he enjoyed the statistical data and sports facts and could find himself wrapped up in those details. He would watch his favorite sporting events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were the horse race's.

Ruben was a man who was dedicated and devoted to his faith. He was a member of the Catholic Church. He was a sympathetic man who valued his beliefs and was willing to work tirelessly for them.

Ruben was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. His family was rounded out by his couple of dogs he had for years.

Ruben Arzate passed away on August 18, 2010 at Citrus Valley Medical Center in Covina, California. He is survived by his mother Gloria, sister Gloria and brothers Pachie, Dickie, Tini and Carlos. Services were held at Custer Christiansen Chapel in Covina, California.

Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of Ruben Arzate. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around him. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.