John Perez

JOHN PEREZ John Perez, 90, of Redlands, passed away peacefully at Redlands Community Hospital on Sunday, February 3, 2013. He was born on June 6, 1922 in El Paso, Texas. A beloved husband, father, uncle, grand-father, great-grandfather, friend and dedicated volunteer, John will be missed by many. After moving and living in Arizona for a time, his family settled in Corona, California where he grew up. He joined the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America after high school and was a member for fifty-five years. He was a member of Carpenters Local 944 and was a master carpenter and he enjoyed helping others using his carpentry skills. Seeking construction work, he lived in various cities and states before living in Colton, California. He settled in Redlands, California for the last 49 years. He worked and built on numerous projects throughout his career not only in California but other western states too. John was proud of his construction work but after he retired, he began volunteer work at the Veteran s Hospital beginning at the Long Beach Veterans Hospital and ending at Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Veterans Medical Center in Loma Linda where he racked up over 32,500 hours. He received many awards for his volunteer service and appreciated the recognition and was super proud to serve others and his country. He was once selected as The Sun s 10 Who Made a Difference for 2004. He was a quiet, kind, and generous man. John was a spiritual man and devout Catholic and sang in the church choir at Christ the King in San Bernardino and at St. Mary s in Redlands. He loved and was proud of having family and friends over for large gatherings at his home in Redlands. He was giving and helped many people in his lifetime which was important to him as it provided much gratification to him. John was drafted into the Army in 1942 during World War II and served his country in the states working mostly as a carpenter and was honorably discharged in 1943. He was a proud American Legionnaire and was responsible, along with his friends, for volunteering their skills and resources for the building of Post 742 in Corona where he served as Post Commander. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus beginning in 2000. John is survived by his wife of forty-nine years, Lupe R. Perez. Others survivors include, their son John Perez (Sandra) of Redlands; daughters, Christine (Kit) Larsen of Kelseyville, CA; Eva Hernandez of Calimesa, CA; Cynthia Perez of Santa Fe, NM; Mary Jean, Margaret, Ruth, (Rudy) and (son) David (Lynn) Pidal, all of Highland, CA; Margaret Simonson of Calimesa, CA; his sister, Concha Flores of Corona, CA; his brother, Gilbert Perez of Rosemead, CA; 14 grandchildren; 16 great grandchildren; and loving nieces, nephews, and cousins. Services will be held at Emmerson Bartlett Memorial Chapel in Redlands, CA on February 12, 2013. Viewing will be at 11:00 a.m. with a Rosary at 12:30 p.m. followed by a Celebration of Life at American Legion Post 106 in Redlands. His burial service will be February 13 at 1:15 p.m. at Riverside National Cemetery. The Perez family would like to say thank you for all your thoughts, prayers, love and support. You may send your condolences to www.emmersonbartlett.com