Roberto Trujillo

Roberto was born in Chupícuaro, Guanajuato, Mexico on July 9th, 1933 to Juan Trujillo Santillan and Angela Ceballos Garcia. He was the third oldest of seven children; Roberto began working at a young age. One of his first jobs outside of helping on the family property, was to tend to neighboring families’ cows, sheep, goats, and other livestock.

Solis Dam, built in the 1940s, compelled the moving of Viejo Chupícuaro to Nuevo Chupícuaro when the dam submerged the old town beneath the waters of Presa Solis. Roberto’s family lost their land and had to find a new way to make a living.

As a result, Roberto, always possessing a very strong work ethic, dreamed of emigrating to the United States for greater economic opportunity in El Norte. Roberto’s father, who was a participant in the initial bracero guest worker program after World War II, first brought Roberto to the United States when he was 16 to pick cotton in Southern Texas. Roberto was also taught to cook by his father, a skill he retained the rest of his life.

From his late teens to his early twenties he returned annually to the U.S. to work in agriculture. In 1957, he married Josefina Gonzalez Garcia, also from Chupícuaro. From the late 1950s to the early 1970s, having obtained a green card as a bracero, he was able to commute between Mexico and the United States seasonally to work in agriculture. He returned repeatedly to the Salinas Valley in Central California, spending most of his life as a tractor driver, plowing furrows.

Roberto’s son Juan remembers very clearly the kindness his father once extended to a neighboring family in Chupícuaro. The family’s infant daughter had died and was to be buried, wrapped only in a cloth. Roberto disappeared, returning a few hours later with a white casket for the child and groceries for the family.

In 1975, Roberto joined the United Farm Workers Union. He was very active in the union and was arrested many times for his involvement in UFW protests and boycotts.

During the Sun Harvest boycott, in 1979, Roberto and other union members protested the hiring of non-union workers. The UFW protesters were suddenly descended upon by a horde of sheriff’s deputies. A melee resulted that saw Roberto fending off the baton blows of a deputy.

In 1976, he brought his wife Josefina, and their three eldest children to the Salinas Valley. Subsequently he brought his remaining children to the U.S. and the family resided for several years on a farmer’s property on the outskirts of Chualar in Monterey County.

In 1984, Roberto and his family moved to Soledad, California and purchased their first home.

From 1975, when he joined, to his retirement in 1995--working six days a week-- Roberto was a very active United Farm Workers union member. He participated in marches with Cesar Chavez and got arrested many times. Roberto took his children, and marched alongside his brothers, who also immigrated from Mexico. Roberto made a special effort to get time off work and travel to attend the funeral of Cesar Chavez in Delano, California in 1993.

Roberto’s activism even threatened his naturalization as an American citizen. When he had passed his citizenship exam, he was required to interview repeatedly with an immigration official. The official pointed out that Roberto was “one of those huelguistas [strikers].” Roberto told the official, “Well, you have a nice salary and a pension. I just want the same thing.” The official approved his citizenship application.

After his retirement in 1995, Roberto and his wife moved to Oceanside where they lived with family. Roberto was an avid fisherman. His favorite fishing location was Baja California, where he enjoyed fishing with his friend, Canuto. Fishing locations in the U.S. that he favored were Lake Henshaw and the Oceanside pier. He also enjoyed casinos, including Pechanga and Pauma, with Valley View being his favorite.

Roberto was a lifelong Los Angeles Dodgers fan, and, fortunately, he died knowing that the 2020 Los Angeles Dodgers were World Series Champions.

His favorite food was pork ribs with green salsa. Roberto was also very fond of Chinese buffets, especially chow mein. He was also a huge boxing fan and a devoted watcher of telenovelas.

Roberto’s wife, Josefina, passed away in 2012. They were married for almost 55 years.

Roberto was preceded in death by his parents, Juan Trujillo Santillan and Angela Ceballos Garcia; his brothers, Serafin Trujillo, Raul Trujillo, Santos Trujillo.

He is survived by his siblings Teodoro (Rosa) Trujillo of King City, and Emperatriz (Leandro) Rosas of Silao, Guanajuato, Mexico; his children, Juan (Maria de Jesus) Trujillo of Oceanside, Angela (Roger) Quintanilla of San Jose, Robert (Lisa) Trujillo of Oceanside, Francisco Trujillo of Oceanside, Hector (Sara) Trujillo of Fresno, Esmeralda (Aparicio) Alberto of Sacramento, and Josefina (Brooks) Elliott of Sacramento; and his 9 grandchildren, Leslie Quintanilla (Graham Turbyne), Natalie Quintanilla, Roger D. Quintanilla, Gabriel Trujillo, Alejandro Trujillo, Isabel Trujillo, Damaris Alberto, Nicolas Alberto, and Valentina Elliott, as well as many nieces, nephews, and extended family.