Agustin Luna Quijano was born on September 11, 1930 in Camaron, Nuevo Leon, Mexico to parents Juanita and Odilon Quijano, and passed away on May 23, 2020 in Yuma, Arizona. He immigrated to the United States and soon after that, became a naturalized citizen. Being a hard worker was always something that was important to him and something that he instilled into his children. The man also loved food! He even spent most of his working years in the United States working for JR Simplot, working with potato products in Idaho, and cultivating the land in his small vineyard in California. His daughter, Lupita fondly remembers seeing him working the land from the playground of her school, which was near the vineyard.
Agustin was a very colorful individual in every way. In the 70’s and 80’s he wore a bright pair of green checkered pants that thankfully now exists only in the memories of his grandchildren. In his later years, brightly colored Hawaiian shirts and random trucker hats (regardless of what they said on them) were his look of choice. He couldn’t be missed! He had an unconventional way of expressing his love to his family. He might call you a “sweet” name that sounded less than sweet to a passerby, he might pass gas to make you laugh because you’re sad, or, because he cares, he might give you a scolding that included a slew of profanities so well put together that you decided you were never going to step a foot out of line again. He was rough around the edges and thought that Paquita La Del Barrio’s “Rata de Dos Patas” was a beautifully written love song, but he was undeniably a good man to those he cared for.
He married his first wife, Aurelia, in his 20s and shared a life with her until her untimely passing. They had one child, Ricardo Quijano, together. He remarried a few times and continued his legacy with the birth of more children; Maria del Rosario (Ramos Lara), Guadalupe Quijano (Zamora), Virginia (Sanchez), and Susana Quijano. Many years later, he met his last wife, Precilia, with whom he spent the final 32 years of his life. Against all odds, much to his surprise (seriously…what?), he gained the status of a legend amongst mere men when he fathered one more child, Prisilia Rodriguez Quijano, at the ripe age of 60. His old age didn’t stop him from taking care of her and helping his five new stepchildren get ahead in life. It also didn’t stop him from embarking on many spontaneous road trips to go visit his older children. These road trips only stopped when Alzheimer’s and dementia changed his life at the age of 77. That didn’t stop him from flirting with all the pretty nurses, though.
He is survived by his wife, Precilia, his six children, his five stepchildren, and his many, MANY grandchildren, step-grandchildren (who lovingly called him “Buelo Tiso”), great-grandchildren, step-great-grandchild, and even several great-great-grandchildren. We can’t name them all, but it doesn’t matter because he called them all “Viejo feo” and “Vieja fea” even though most of them inherited his great bone structure and spectacular eyebrows. A legend.
