Jocelyn "Josie" Michelle Bautista

Jocelyn "Josie" Michelle Bautista was born to Marco and Susan Bautista Wednesday, September 6, 1995 at 1:22 pm. She weighed 7 lbs. 13 oz. and was 19 1/2” long. She was greeted the following day by her older brother, Michael, and her first dog Nemo. Josie was always a smiling little girl that loved to play with her big brother, her dog, Polly's dolls and stuffed animals. So much so, that she named all 70 of them! Her favorites were the unicorns and turtles, that became her favorite animal in general. In November of 2000, her little brother, Vincent, came into her life. She was very protective and caring for him, but she did occasionally take joy in tormenting him as she did with her older brother.

With her family, the love of holidays was kindled. Easter was a very special occasion for Jocelyn and her brothers. Their anticipation for the Easter bunny's arrival as well the fun in the Easter egg hunts made for great memories. On Easter mornings, usually, Michael would wake Josie up earlier than any other day to check the front porch for their Easter baskets. Halloween was perhaps her favorite holiday. No doubt greatly encouraged by her father, Marco, Josie enjoyed dressing up in costumes. She dressed as various witches, princesses, a clown, and even as Wednesday Addams! These great costumes all started with her dressed as a little cheerleader. This tradition was carried on every year for Josie with great enthusiasm.

In August of 2001, Jocelyn began her academic life in kindergarten. Immediately her affinity for education was displayed. Her ability to make friends also shined through. These friends and her loyalty to them often stretched on through her high school years and beyond.

Her family trips and activities were dear to her heart and one of the earliest vacations took place in April of 2002 to Disneyland. She enjoyed the friendly atmosphere and the characters. She loved especially her photo shoot with the princesses. Here, also, her love for rides began, except for the Haunted Mansion that she was terrified of. Soon thereafter, she experienced her first camping trip. She loved camping almost above every other family activity. She loved being outdoors and playing games with her family. She and her brothers would play the hunting game in which they would chase each other through the woods.

When her brother Michael began playing Pop Warner football, Josie began cheerleading for his team. Around the same time, she also began her joy for gymnastics that continued on for three more years. Her practice and effort fueled her future athleticism.

All the while, her academic prowess continued to grow. It grew so that in 6th grade she won her school wide spelling bee and placed 4th in the regional spelling bee.

At the age of 12, her dad dragged her to her first concert. She attended the Rush: Snakes and Arrows tour in 2008. Ultimately, Rush might not have been Josie's favorite band, but she enjoyed the experience of her first concert with her family. Consequently, this also increased her interest in older rock and roll.

Not long after, Josie dragged her dad off to Castles and Coasters on a field trip. Again her adrenaline filled love of rides was strengthened. Meanwhile, her father's stomach's constitution was weakened. This would continue on with the family trips to the state fair where she would ride the most extreme rides she could.

As she progressed through junior high and her teenage years, she began experimenting and diversifying her style. She developed a passion for fashion and began wearing various hats and different styles of outfits. Josie became a borderline shoe addict as well! She even experimented with designing clothes. However along with her developing interest in clothing, her teenage years also brought strife with her brothers. Most of which was fueled by their daily responsibilities. Many nights her and her brothers would fight over who was washing dishes vs. rinsing them, etc. These chores, however, would also bring her and her brothers together, even if it was against a “common enemy”.

In 8th grade, Josie became heavily interested in singing. She took choir and practiced often at home and school. At the end of the year, her choir class featured a production in which they performed the songs of the musical, Singing In the Rain.

Around the same time, Josie began dabbling in poetry. As a result she produced a book of poetry that she gifted to her father on Christmas in 2009. She also began to develop an obsession with collecting Disney Films. She compiled what films her parents had as well as any new movies that came out.

In 2010, Josie found a new love in her puppies Nyxie, Pyxie, and Zera. She treated the puppies as her children. She loved playing with them and even dressing them up. Josie had taken to creating shirts, dresses, and special collars for her “puppers”. This love revitalized her love for animals in general. It would influence her to become a vegetarian for a brief time. A very brief time indeed with the realization that she could no longer eat bacon or steak.

Also in 2010, Josie started high school. Developing a full four year plan, she already appeared to have an impressive academic career. Her capacity to learn was great and often her older brother would ask her for help with homework. Here she also started her interest in photography. Like her older brother, she began with photography early on in which she developed her artistic abilities. As a result of her photography skills she earned first place in photo competitions at the state fair, within her school district, and a gold medal at Skills USA.

These artistic abilities also really showed through in her cross-stitching that her mother, Susan, taught her. She often carried with her a bag of cross-stitching supplies. Perhaps the most prized cross-stitching was that of Donald Duck gifted to her father in a football themed frame. She also remained creative under the fervor, again, for Easter. In high school, She and her family began an annual egg decorating contest on Easter. Her creativity allowed her to dominate the contest!

While she was in high school, the many friends that she had gained and grown with bonded over their interests together. In particular, her love for tv shows like Supernatural and American Horror Stories. She also increased her interest in books, anime, and movies. She especially took a great interest in the Lord of the Rings.

In Spring of 2011, Josie's father began the arduous and frightening task of training Josie to drive. He taught her to drive cautiously. She accordingly used the brakes liberally and often hard. “Eat dashboard Daddy!” became a common phrase. Although she did fail her first attempt at the driver's test on her 16th birthday, she ultimately received her driver's license.

In 2012, Josie got braces on her teeth. This began the painful experience of correcting her teeth that involved multiple surgeries.

In August of 2013 following a concert, Josie had one of her first experiences with margaritas...it did not go well. Although the adventure was one that Josie enjoyed and would never forget. Also in August, Josie had started her first job at Wendy's while she was still in high school. The likes of which she excelled at. Before Jocelyn left, she had become eligible to take up a management position.

The following year, Josie gave a performance of a lifetime at her high school dance recital. The experience she had gained thus far as a result of her gymnastics and cheerleading, paired with her drive and practice earned her a THS dance Sparkler ribbon for being a “Powerful Performer”.

The excitement she felt when she graduated at the end of the school year with honors was felt by all around her. She was so proud of herself just as much as everyone was proud of her. She did also take enjoyment in making sure her big brother knew that she received more AP credits that he did. Her hard work through high school had earned her a scholarship for the community college of her choice.

Upon the completion of high school, Josie decided to test her wings out in the world and flew away from the coop. She got her own apartment and began a new career with U-Haul. She was living life as an adult and loving it. Although she struggled as most young people do upon leaving their homes for the first time, she felt the pride and happiness of the independence she had gained.

Her life continued to be steady during this time. She worked and enjoyed playing video games with her brothers and watching netflix on her days off. Even living apart from her family, she made sure she had time for them. The family enjoyed their time with her via get togethers and cook-outs.

In March of 2015 she got the opportunity she had been waiting for. Josie's dream of a career and passion for photography led her to a place at Lifetouch studios. She made many close friendships, and gained a strong clientele in the short time she was there. She especially loved taking photos of babies. Her strength in the field was to earn her a promotion not so far down the road. Along with her work at the studio, Josie dabbled in freelancing. She photographed a few events such as Birthdays and Quinceaneras. She also became an entrepreneur with her brother, Michael. They started a company of their own called J & M Studios focusing on her photography talent and his graphic design talent. This business gave them the opportunity to bond and be together.

On June 26, 2016, at the young age of 20 years old, Josie's life was tragically cut short. In that short 20 years, however, she got the chance to live out her dreams and threw passion into every facet of her life. She lived her life to the fullest. Her generous nature and loving ways touched everyone around her and by them she will forever be missed and loved.