Jose Cuevas, a small mountain of a
man. He was a rock and center for so many lives, not only in his family but for
an entire community. He leaves behind a wife, Sandra and two children,
Yulissa age 14 and Izaak age 9. Jose and Sandra met in the neighborhood in
Compton, CA while attending different high schools, they became best
friends. In August they just celebrated 18 years of marriage.
He
was active in his Church, often volunteering with fundraisers to benefit the
community. He loved gardening and working outside in the yard. His wife
and children describe him as a busy man. He liked to kid around and be
lighthearted; using the time he had with them on the weekends and evenings as a
way to maximize the memories, memories they will cherish as time goes on.
Members of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, the family recently celebrated their son
Izaak’s First Communion. They were also planning Yulissas’ Quinceanera,
to take place in July; he and his daughter were taking dancing lessons for a
father daughter dance. He was very active in his children’s lives; Yulissa
explained that her father took her to school every day since the 6th
grade, sometimes giving her pep talks along the way.
Jose’s life was taken abruptly on
April 30, 2013, in a fatal car accident, while headed home from a 12 hour day
at work. April 30th just happened to be his 39th
birthday. His wife and two kids were at home waiting for him with a small cake
and balloons, sadly, Jose never made it home that evening.
Jose was an innocent victim of
violence in the South Los Angeles Community he grew up in. A matter of
being at the wrong place at the wrong time, his life was sacrificed. I had the
honor of speaking with Jose’s wife and she shared with me that there were
people sitting at the bus stop on the corner where the accident took place and
Jose managed to turn the vehicle in a way that dodged the patrons as the
accident came reeling at them. He is a hero, and even in his darkest
hour, was thinking on his toes to save lives.
By day he was a workhorse in the
orthopaedic community, serving 20 years as dedicated warehouse lead in the LA
area for DePuy Orthopaedics.
He was a wealth of knowledge and took his
career seriously. When I met with his wife she shared stories with me
about Jose’s notebook that he carried to and from work with him and at all
times, never neglecting to have the information he needed to effectively execute
patient care. He made himself available at all hours of the night and
would stop at nothing to ensure our accounts had the product they needed
for surgery. His compassion and dedication were evident not only at work,
but at home. He sacrificed many hours with his family for the dedication
he held to his job, however balanced the intimate needs of the family when he
returned home to them. This was a man who made time for his children and
met the needs of an entire community of people. He touched many lives
through the building of surgical needs in the Southern California area.
By night he was as man that would
come home from work and lovingly greet his children and wife. There were
many nights he would come home hours after supper was served and the children
would still gather around the table to eat with him and just talk. His
life was taken too soon, and no one can be prepared to lose a loved one and
friend. In speaking with his children I asked them if there is anything
they wanted to share about their father and this is what they had to say:
Yulissa ~
“There’s a lot to say about my dad. I really loved him a lot. He
was fun to be around, things could be going bad and he would find a way to be
happy and saw the good things in life. He would tell us everything
happens for a reason. He taught me that, no matter how many times you
fall, you always have to get back up, keep going, no matter what! He had
a great sense of humor. The first time I told him I had a crush on a boy,
he said to me, “oh, so you gave him a soda?”… He always told me it’s
better to be open than to go around hiding, be honest. I could tell him
anything. He told me never to be afraid to be who I am.”
Izaak~ “He
was a great man, a loving father. He will always think about us. You
could always trust him. Whenever you go anywhere with him, he makes you
feel special. I love him and will miss him.
I asked
his wife if there was anything she wanted to share and she said, “He is the
best thing that ever happened to me and as a result we have two beautiful
children, who are the loves of our lives. To describe him, a long time ago I
dedicated the song Because You Love Me, by Celine Dion.”
For all those times you stood by me
For all the truth that you made me see
For all the joy you brought to my life
For all the wrong that you made right
For every dream you made come true
For all the love I found in you
I'll be forever thankful baby
You're the one who held me up
Never let me fall
You're the one who saw me through through it all
A life taken too soon and a provider for an entire family, a hero
of a dedicated man. Jose will be missed
for years to come.
If you feel led to give to this family, please help them by making
a donation to the Jose Cuevas Benefit Memorial Fund through Wells Fargo
Bank.
Donations may be submitted by:
·
walking into any Wells
Fargo Bank and making a deposit into the above named account, no account number
is needed
·
transferring money from
a Wells Fargo account over the phone to this Wells Fargo account, just give
the name again
