Carlos Ramirez Olivas

If anyone ever truly cared for other people in the world, it would have to be Carlos Ramirez Olivas. He was a warmhearted and well-liked individual. These wonderful traits came easily to him, perhaps because he was such a sociable and amiable person. He tried to do his best to make certain that those around him had whatever they needed. Carlos was a talkative person who typically said what he meant, but he was tactful at all times. Overall, others felt that Carlos was someone who cared deeply for others. He was the person others could go to when they needed consoling.

He was born on August 11, 1937. He first greeted the world in Chihuahua, Mexico. His parents were Daniel Olivas & Bertha Ramirez. He grew up in Mexicali, B.C. During his childhood, he learned to be reliable and respectful. He was an obedient child who wanted to win the favor of others. He found it easy to show sympathy and to perform kind acts for others. These admirable qualities would become a part of Carlos' personality throughout his life. Carlos was a very caring person. He cared for his siblings and was a handyman to others.

Though Carlos was frequently the one to initiate games and activities with his family, he was also quite often the family member who took the role of referee. He was a peacemaker who would frequently work to keep those usual family quarrels at bay. But even though Chale and his family had the typical conflicts and squabbles, they all cared deeply for one another. He was raised with 10 siblings. Carlos had 7 brothers, Ernesto, Artemio, Ricardo, Isidro, Eduardo, Victor, and Jorge; and 3 sisters, Alicia, Teresa and Aides. Carlos was like a father figure to his siblings, they all looked up to him. He played Santa Clause at Christmas time, Joy rides to the park, Ice Cream, beach goer, he loved dancing, and a very romantic man. Carlos' grandparents were Maria Ramirez & Jesus Ramirez Moran. He was always there for his grandmother for all needs, even just to visit. He was close to relatives as well; Carlos' extended family included all his uncles and cousins. Family reunions were always enjoyed to see new members added to our family.

As someone who reveled in the sheer joy of his experiences, Carlos was always enthusiastic about new adventures. One thing he will certainly be remembered for is that when he got up in the mornings, he always hit the floor running, ready and raring to go. As a young boy, Carlos had a number of interests and was an active child. He enjoyed playing sports, especially baseball. There were a number of hobbies that Carlos had while growing up, some of which included arts and crafts. Playing games were always one of his favorite pastimes. He enjoyed playing El Valero.

He enjoyed reading, especially "La Familia Burron" and "Melinda Linda". He attended Cuauhtemoc Elementary School. Some of Carlos' biggest accomplishments during this time included good grades, and playing drums.

Carlos could talk to anybody about anything. Some of his best friends when he was a child were Cande, Calo, and Pete. The were the original Entourage.

Carlos would sometimes talk about where he grew up and some of the things he did as a child. Carlos lived in a house in Mexicali, B.C., but restricted his room from everyone. He developed a love of animals as a child and enjoyed spending time with his dog Solovino. He really loved his dog. Carlos also enjoyed a few trips away from home while growing up. There were a lot of visits to the U.S., to visit his family.

For Carlos, school routines were never a problem although he generally preferred variety to structure. He was able to start a project and work right through to completion and he was able to do it quickly and efficiently. He was also quite adept at managing details, due to being observant and quick at picking up on new things.

For Carlos, the high school years were not just about school. There were many other fun and exciting things to do and experience. A lot of that centered around his friends. Being so outgoing and talkative, Carlos was able to make many friends during high school. Some of his best friends included Cande, Calo and Pete. They were a fun bunch to hang around with. When Carlos and his friends got together, they would go to the river.

Some of his high school relationships went beyond just friendship and turned a bit more romantic. Carlos love to go dancing.

Learning about responsibility was not a hard lesson for Carlos. He was naturally conscientious, so taking on new responsibilities was not difficult for him. His first car was a Buick. Being a hard worker also came naturally to Carlos. He learned even more about responsibility by working at an Ice House in Mexicali, B.C.

His love of pets continued through high school with His dog Solovino. Carlos loved him so much.

Being such an outgoing person, Chale enjoyed getting away to travel, to see new places and meet new people. Carlos also did a bit of traveling during his high school years. He traveled to the U.S., to visit many family members.

Carlos was a faithful and loving person. Some would even call him sentimental and a romantic at heart. His kindness and consideration radiated an aura of warmth to those around him. He cared what others thought and carried that into his relationship with Guadalupe Martinez Salomon. Carlos met Guadalupe because they were neighbors. Carlos and Guadalupe's first date was a memorable one. He picked her up in his car and they went to the movies.

Carlos proposed to Guadalupe during a Cantiflas movie. They happened to be accompanied by her grandmother, but thats when he proposed.

He exchanged vows with Lupita on September 2, 1963 civil and January 26, 1964 by the church. The bridesmaids were Teresa, Alicia, Leticia, Yolanda, and Alejandra. Standing up with the groom were Sonni, Isidro, Richie, Cesar, and Carlos. The flower girl was Rosana. There were 200 people in attendance of this Catholic wedding which was held at the Guadalupe Catherdral Church in Mexicali, B.C. The reception was held at Ferocarin Hall in Mexicali, B.C. There was no cake knife available and suggestions were made to use "a chingada tabla".

Following the ceremony Chale and Lupita took some time together for their honeymoon. The honeymoon was a weekend trip to San Francisco, California.

Compassionate and devoted, Carlos worked hard to make his new life partner happy. Despite the fact that, like most young couples, they lived rather modestly, Carlos did his best to make it a happy home. Their first residence was a small appartment in Baldwin Park, California. They purchased their first house in Baldwin Park, California in 1967.

This same knack for harmony included sharing old friends and making new ones. Some of their friends included Ricardo & Linda Lutz, Bill & Patty Smith, and Martin & Maria Medina. These friends always kept an eye out for each other.

Carlos was the kind of person who would readily move into action in order to help others. He was appreciated and respected, and he could find value in the opinions of others while being passionate about his own values and beliefs. So it is little wonder that he was active and highly valued by those in his community. His keen interest in things that affected the lives of other people led Carlos to become actively involved in professional and community organizations. He was a born list-maker and was great at creating and sticking to schedules.

Harmony was important to Carlos and he made every effort to maintain it with his family. Carlos had two children, a boy & a girl, Carlos M. Olivas & Brenda M. Olivas. He enjoyed his sons baseball games and his daughters piano residals. The children would often fill his heart with pride with some of the things they accomplished. Both of the kids graduated from High School and Carlos started working, while Brenda completed college.

It was part of Carlos' nurturing and fostering nature to make sure that the children were raised in safe environment.

He tried his best to teach about responsibilities and the rewards that can go along with it. Along with this, he also tried to instill his love for animals in his children and did so with Sammy, Lacky, Shammon, Oso, Blacky, Jr., Snoopy, Kuckie, and Pingie. He really loved them all! He tried to maintain this learning and encouragement when the family took trips and vacations. Growing up some of the vacations that they went on were to Yosemite Park, Disneyland, the Zoo and to Mexico. Later in life, he was blessed with one grandson, Carlos Diego Olivas. He was always conscious of the feelings possessed by others around him. He was reasonable and understanding. As a result, Carlos was quick to solve disputes and did so without much fuss. His secret of success in this area was simple: he would listen before he would act.

Taking his work seriously came naturally to Carlos. He expected the same commitment and effort from those around him. Carlos was a great team player, someone who cooperated well with others. He was what some would call a “people person,” something which was best demonstrated in his good communication skills. Carlos was a steady worker, one who was realistic about schedules. The kind of details that would give family members and work colleagues fits were situations that Carlos handled well. He could understand the details without getting lost in the "big picture.”

These abilities and this attitude seemed to come naturally for Carlos. They were things he did even during his first jobs. Carlos' first full time job was at Crown City Paper Company. Probably the most unique or interesting job Carlos ever held was as a travel agent. His primary occupation was working as a forklift driver at a warehouse. He was a warehouse man, travel agent and bus chauffer at the airport.

He brought harmony to his work environment, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done, while always maintaining respect for his colleagues. He was very knowledgeable and always organized. Some places he traveled to for work were, Washington, London, Hawaii, Dallas, Jamaica, Miami, Cancun, Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, San Francisco, and New York.

Like in other aspects of his life, Carlos’ outgoing personality led him to make a number of friends at work.

Blessed with a practical nature, Carlos was a person who appreciated the routine of the military. He was a man who took his obligations seriously, working well with the others in his unit. In 1955, Carlos served in the Mexican Military for two years. He achieved the final rank of Private.

A methodical man, Carlos enjoyed spending time working on his various hobbies. He had no problem following all of the steps and instructions on a given project and was proud of the fact that he could have something to show for his efforts. He developed a number of interests throughout his life, including Arts & Crafts, mechanics and handyman work.

Many things brightened Carlos' day. Carlos' favorite past times were family reunions, traveling, his hobbies and especially his family. When it came to food and drink, he enjoyed frijoles de la hoya, aroz, and In-N-Out hamburgers.

Reading continued to be an enjoyable pastime, especially "La Opinion" newspaper, and boxing magazines. Carlos' favorite movies were "The Godfather" and cantiflas movies. Wrestling and "El Loeo Valdez Show" were shows he enjoyed. His favorite music were Los Trios.

Carlos was one of those people who took pride in constantly putting forth his best effort. Nowhere was that more visible than in sports. He was always enthusiastic and a great team player. Carlos also enjoyed following his favorite teams and events whenever he got the opportunity, such as Boxing, Baseball and Soccer.

His high moral standards and traditional values served Carlos well within his Christian faith. Religion and faith were important to him. He was well-respected because he was such an outgoing individual who sought to help in any manner that he could.

Since he was practical and frugal, he was ready when the time to retire actually came. The day finally arrived in 1999 in Los Angeles, California.

Since it was easy for Carlos to meet and get to know new people, he quickly made friends, even in retirement. Once he met those new friends, he loved sharing stories and talking about "the good old days". So even in retirement, he kept in touch with his old friends and continued to make new ones. His love for animals was still present during these years as was obvious with his involvement with Champ, his dog and Chapitos, his bird. Carlos loved his dog and listening to the singing of his bird.

Carlos Ramirez Olivas left us on April 21, 2011. He passed away at home in his bedroom. He was 73 years old. The cause of death was due to complications of diabetes. He was preceded in death by his 3 brothers, mother, and grandmother. He is survived by his wife, children and grandson. Visitation was held at Live Oak Memorial Chapel on Monday, April 25, 2011, 4pm - 8pm, with funeral service on Tuesday, April 16, 2011, 10am. Services were handled by Turner & Stevens Live Oak Memorial Park & Mortuary. Carlos was laid to rest at Live Oak Memorial Park, in Monrovia, California.

Carlos was a fantastic conversationalist who could engage just about anyone in a discussion. And whenever he said something, he meant it. Carlos was down-to-earth, outgoing and gregarious. He was, without question, the type of person who enjoyed experiencing things firsthand. He was practical and sensible, but what friends and family will remember him for the most is the fact that he was so understanding and kind. It can surely be said that everyone whose life he touched will miss Carlos Ramirez Olivas.