John Paez

Son, Brother, Husband, Father, Mentor, Uncle, Grandfather, Great Grandfather/Uncle, Great-Great Uncle, Co-Worker, Friend. Born in Salt Lake City (SLC), UT to Juan (John) Paez (a farmer) and Enedina Gutierrez (a housewife). He was the youngest son in a very poor (economically only) and close-knit, caring, and loving family of eleven siblings (nine sisters and two brothers). As the youngest, all his sisters and only brother loved him dearly and called him Johnny, even now. John and his brothers and sisters grew up in a farm and everyone helped with daily chores of feeding the animals, weeding, and watering the vegetable and cornfields. As a very small child John was allowed by his Dad to take a few vegetables which he would wash and arrange on a small wagon and would walk to sell them to nearby neighbors to earn money to buy treats at the local store. John was a very talented singer and guitar player and enjoyed entertaining in family and friends’ gatherings. As a small child his father taught him to sing and would take him to functions throughout SLC where John senior would play the guitar and John junior would sing and together would bring in money to supplement the family’s income. As he grew up, John also learned to play the guitar (self-taught), became quite adept, and developed a beautiful baritone voice. He used these talents whenever the opportunity arose to regale family and friends; he delighted in bringing joy to others and was happiest around the people he loved most: his children, grandchildren, his siblings, extended family, and closest friends.John graduated from Granite High School in SLC and earned a baseball scholarship to attend Southern Utah State College in Cedar City, UT; he was an outstanding baseball player throughout high school and college, really loved the game, and remained a fan throughout his life. As captain of the team in his senior year in high school, he led his teammates, the Granite Farmers to their first Utah State Class A Baseball Championship with a 4-3 victory over the North Cache Bulldogs in 1962. Granite High School had lost only one pre-season game and ended the season with a 17-1 record. John also received the Official Block Letter Award in Varsity Athletics for Special Achievement in Baseball in 1963 while attending Southern Utah State College and playing with the Thunderbirds. He was very proud of these accomplishments and remembered his baseball days fondly. He was also an avid fan of football and basketball and enjoyed watching these sports on television. On occasion John would attend a baseball game with one of his closest friends and former co-workers, James Lewis and/or Brad Yamauchi who were also always part of a group who would get together from time to time after work to play friendly games of poker at John’s home. John married his first wife Margaret Paez (Mabey) and had two children: Allison Renee (Michael Ahern) in 1964 and Christian John (Ida Hendricks) in 1966. To support his family, as a very young man John worked as a laborer at Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation in South Jordan UT and tended bar in his father in-law’s (Phil Mabey) establishment The Sportsman’s Hideout in Clearfield, UT. His first white-collar employment was at the Clearfield Job Corps Center in Clearfield, UT where he counseled disadvantaged youth about education and vocational training. He moved his family to California in 1973 and settled first in Santa Clara and later in San Jose. He continued to work and advocate for better education and employment opportunities for low-income individuals and families while working at the Community Center for Career Development as a Programs Manager and Grants Writer and at the Santa Clara County Human Relations Commission and Valley Medical Center as an Equal Employment Opportunity Officer. In the same capacity, he was employed by and retired from the City and County of San Francisco’s Bureau of Personnel and Training in the Public Utilities Commission where he investigated and resolved amicably countless complaints of employment discrimination within the City and County of San Francisco’s system. After his retirement, John remained active in the community and served a term in Santa Clara County’s Grand Jury in 2003-2004. He also returned to work part-time as a consultant for two years at the request of his former employers at the Public Utilities Commission in San Francisco. John was preceded in death by his parents (Juan and Enedina Paez), his dearest only daughter Allison Renee Ahern (Michael), his only elder brother Simon, and his dear sisters Jenny Smith (Barton), Alice Simpson (Darrel), and Mary Lou Filson (Robert). He is survived by six sisters: Lilly Young (Robert), Angie Bowden (Blaine), Anita Hoffman (Charles ‘Chuck’), Ruth Bowcut (Keith), Genevieve Nygren (Glen), Nancy Blair (Mike), his first wife of 10 years Margaret Paez, his second wife of forty years Consuelo Collard, his dearest son Christian John Paez, his dear grandchildren Ian Michael and Andrew Phillips Ahern (long absent and sorely missed), Amy Adams (David) from Ida Hendricks’ first marriage, and Alexandre and Angelina Renee Paez. He is also survived by his dear great grandchildren Allison and Elise Adams and numerous (too many to list) and greatly loved nieces and nephews, great nieces and great nephews, and great-great nieces and great-great nephews. May his spirit live on, infinite and eternal.SERVICES: A private viewing for immediate family and closest friends was held on Saturday January 23, 2016 at 2:00 PM at the Lima Family Mortuary in Santa Clara. His body will be cremated and a Memorial Service and Celebration of Life will take place on Saturday February 6, 2016 at 11:00 AM at the Lima Family Mortuary, 466 North Winchester Boulevard in Santa Clara, CA 95050.