Manny Aguilera

Manny Aguilera was born on November 16, 1953 in Dinuba, California to the late Aguilera Claudio and Sara Gonzalez. He spent part of his childhood on the Yokut Indian reservation at the Tule River near Porterville, California. Manny was proud of his Native American heritage and shared many childhood memories growing up with his grandmother, who was a medicine woman on the reservation. His nickname on the reservation was “Chachee.”

After high school, he enlisted in the United States Army where he served for 10 years. Manny was a pioneer; he developed some of the first satellite communication infrastructures for army bases across the world. He was deployed to Germany, Japan, Vietnam, Iraq, South Korea and many borders in South America.

Manny studied electrical engineering and communication networks at the University of Virginia. After leaving the Army, Manny moved back to California to be closer to Silicon Valley and leverage his technical knowledge in the industry. He met his wife, Asse Kassa, in San Jose in 1985. He built a successful career as a network architect working at companies such as the Federal Reserve Bank, Cisco Systems, Kaiser Permanente and Blue Shield of California.

He spent the last thirteen years retired in Vallejo, California. He and Asse enjoyed their retirement by traveling across the world - Paris, Rome, Germany, Ethiopia and Jerusalem were some of his favorite trips. They were also frequent visitors to Napa, fulfilling Manny’s passion for wine and fine dining. Manny also loved action movies and thriller novels, quickly reading large, dense novels in just a few days.

Manny was a loving husband, brother, uncle and friend. He touched the lives of many with his generosity and kindness. He passed peacefully, surrounded by his family, on September 2, 2023 at the age of 69, due to medical conditions.

Manny's memory lives on in the hearts of his cherished wife, Asse, and his loving family and friends.