Jose S Espiritu

Jose Sanchez Espiritu, 82, of Union, NJ, passed away peacefully at home on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, after a long illness.

Jose was born on March 23, 1944, in Lumban, Laguna, Philippines, to Modesto Espiritu and Natividad Sanchez. He graduated from the Mapua Institute of Technology in 1972 with a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, a credential he carried across an ocean in pursuit of a better life for the family he would build. His career spanned two countries and more than three decades: he began in the Philippines at United Milk Products, then continued in the United States at Bulova Watch and Domino Sugar in New York, before settling in for a long tenure at Exxon (later ConocoPhillips) at the Linden, New Jersey refinery. Wherever he worked, he took on demanding shift work, including overnight shifts, without complaint, until his retirement in 2007. It was a career built one hard shift at a time.

Jose carried a deep love for both his homeland and his adopted country. He never stopped speaking of "going home" to the Philippines, and he cherished his hometown of Lumban, Laguna, becoming one of the founding members of the Lumban, Laguna Association in NJ, a social and support community for his fellow town mates. At the same time, he embraced America as his second home, becoming a U.S. citizen in a ceremony at the Statue of Liberty. He was patriotic and stayed engaged with current events throughout his life, and was a loyal New York Mets fan.

Family road trips were among his greatest joys, from the World's Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee, to Civil War battlefields in Virginia and Pennsylvania, to Walt Disney World, and countless beach vacations in Wildwood, Virginia Beach, Hilton Head, and Myrtle Beach, always with music filling the car, especially the Beatles. He loved line dancing with his breakfast club and even DJ'd family parties. He was known for being incredibly handy, repairing the family station wagon and building additions to the family's basement, Ronald's bedroom, and kitchen himself, with the help of family and friends. He also enjoyed collecting pocket knives, computer gadgets, and watches. A lifelong lover of technology, he passed that passion on to his son Ronald, who built a career in healthcare information technology.

Jose met his wife, Petronila, through his brother-in-law, and what began as an introduction soon grew into a courtship carried out through letters and cards, and visits. They married in 1972, moved to New York City in 1973, and soon welcomed their daughter, Michelle, followed years later by their son, Ronald. They recently celebrated their 54th wedding anniversary, and liked to joke that in all those years, they never had a fight. Jose and Petronila shared the same values of hard work and devotion to family, and together they helped their siblings immigrate to the United States, building not just a life for their own children but a lasting legacy that improved the lives of their extended family in both the U.S. and the Philippines, one that continues today.

More than anything, Jose loved his family, and he showed it in everything he did. He was a devoted provider who often made time to pick his wife up from work and generously supported the education of his children, nieces, and nephews alike. He showed up for his children in the ways that mattered most to each of them: bringing Ronald to little league and basketball games, and to see the Mets play, and pitching to Michelle for hours given her love of softball, while offering her direct, no-nonsense advice on life goals. In his later years, that same love found its fullest expression in his granddaughter, Noelle. His happiest memories were made with her and the rest of the family on trips to Shady Brook Farms for apple picking, watching her play on her trampoline in the backyard, or simply over meals out in Union. He asked after her wellbeing constantly, and each morning, over breakfast with his wife, he'd linger over her photos on a digital frame, the best way, he always said, to start his day.

Jose's life was defined by intensity, pragmatism, and strength, the hallmarks of an immigrant who built something lasting through decades of hard work and drew on that same strength to fight for his health in his final years. His legacy of sacrifice and love lives on in those he leaves behind, forever grateful for his example. May he rest in eternal peace.

Jose is survived by his wife, Petronila San Diego Espiritu; his son, Ronald Espiritu, and daughter-in-law, Mary Joyce Retizos; his granddaughter, Noelle J Retizos Espiritu; his daughter, Michelle Espiritu Soto, and son-in-law, Jeffrey Soto; his sister, Fredesminda Espiritu Guevarra, and brother, Criste Espiritu; and his many nieces and nephews in the U.S. and the Philippines.

He was predeceased by his father, Modesto Espiritu; his mother, Natividad Sanchez; and his sister, Irenea Espiritu Llamanzares.