Ricardo Eliseo Ocampo

Good morning my name is Lorena and I am Ricardo's mother.

Ricardo was a remarkable young man. A little bit stubborn at times, but nonetheless remarkable. He was a caring son, a good brother, an amazing friend and an eccentric soul. He was deeply loved by his family and friends. He had a passion for cars, sports, all kinds of music and good food.

Unfortunately, Ricardo also had some health issues. He had been dealing with epilepsy since he was a boy. His condition made it difficult for him to enjoy the things he loved most in this life. But after 27 years of living, God decided to be merciful and call him back home. Although being here without him is incredibly painful I have faith that it was for the best and he is resting peacefully now.

I would like to thank everyone that is here today and for those who have sent their condolences. We've received many phone calls, texts, flowers, meals, and prayers. All of these things have been a great comfort to us as well as a reminder of the impact he had on others.

Buenos días, mi nombre es Lorena soy la mamá de Ricardo.

Ricardo fue un joven notable. Un poco testarudo algunas veces, sin embargo excepcional. Fue un hijo cariñoso, un hermano bueno ,amigo maravilloso y un alma excéntrica. Su familia y amigos lo amaron profundamente. Tenía una gran pasión por los carros, deportes, música y buena comida.

Desafortunadamente, Ricardo también sufría problemas médicos. Diagnosticado con epilepsia desde su niñez. Teniendo esta condición impidió que disfrutara las cosas que más le gustaba hacer en su vida. Después de 27 años de vida, Dios tuvo misericordia y lo recogió. Y aunque no tenerlo con nosotros es increíblemente doloroso yo tengo fe que fue lo mejor y que él está descansando en eterna paz.

Quiero agradecer a todos los que nos acompañan y a todos los que nos han hecho llegar su pésame. Hemos recibido muchas llamadas telefónicas, mensajes de texto, flores, alimentos y oraciones. Todas estas muestras de cariño nos han dado mucho consuelo asi como tambien nos recuerdan de cómo el fue estimado e influyó a otras personas.

Ricardo was a remarkable young man. A little bit stubborn at times, but nonetheless remarkable. He was a caring son, a good brother, an amazing friend and an eccentric soul. He was deeply loved by his family and friends. He had a passion for cars, sports, all kinds of music and good food.

Unfortunately, Ricardo also had some health issues. He had been dealing with epilepsy since he was a boy. His condition made it difficult for him to enjoy the things he loved most in this life. But after 27 years of living, God decided to be merciful and call him back home. Although being here without him is incredibly painful I have faith that it was for the best and he is resting peacefully now.

I would like to thank everyone that is here today and for those who have sent their condolences. We've received many phone calls, texts, flowers, meals, and prayers. All of these things have been a great comfort to us as well as a reminder of the impact he had on others.

I remember when I first met Ricardo. He came to Holmes middle school half way through our 7th grade year. He was put in my history class and sat in the desk right in front of me. During class some of the other kids were trying to talk to Ricardo but he kept his answers short and didn't seem to want to talk. One of the kids told Ricardo to speak up, that he was mumbling and couldn't understand him. Ricardo told the kid he was built like king kong and sounded like mickey mouse. I started laughing and we became friends. After a while of talking to him at school he told me he would always see me riding my bike by his house with a little kid, my cousin Randy. Turned out we lived in the same neighborhood just a couple houses apart. We began to hang out after school and over the summer the introduced me to my first love, Skateboarding. Through skating many friendships were made and strengthened. At the time I was living in a garage with my dad who was always working. I think I spent more time at his house than my own.

Over time we realized that our lives shared some similarities. We were both sons of immigrant parents who wanted the best for us, and our sisters were the same age. He was very proud of his family. He would talk about how his dad was a sailor who traveled around to different countries. He showed me a newspaper article about a shipwreck that took lives and said his dad was on that ship and survived. He talked about the struggles his mom faced while leaving El Salvador during the civil war. He was inspired by her coming to this country with nothing and still managed to prosper with no excuses. He would always talk about how smart his sister was. He loved his family very much.

After middle school we ended up in different high schools and still hung out all the time. Even after I moved out of the neighborhood, we never lost touch. Sometimes months would go by where we didn't see each other but when we did it was like not a day went by. He was the kind of friend everyone needs in their life.

I had my daughter at a very young age and with that came a lot of change. Many things and people that were a big part of my life began to fade away with me focused on my new priority, being a father. Not Ricardo. The day my daughter Aria was born I received a text from him saying 'Eyy'. That was just our way of saying 'what's up' 'how've you been'. I texted him back 'Eyy. I'm a dad!' He called me right away and we spoke for a bit then he asked what room I was in. I told him the hospital room number and he hung up. Two minutes later he walks through the door. I was so confused. I stood up and asked him where he came from. He didn't even answer me, he just pointed over to the baby cradle and asked 'is that her' while walking over. He poked his head over, waved and said 'Hey!'. Aria stretched her arms over her head and her hands formed a W. Ricardo got hyped saying ' Yo! she's throwing up Wu-Tang! Wu-Tang is for the children!'. When Ricardo was leaving, he ran into my dad in the hallway. My dad said the same thing he always said when he'd see him, 'Ese Ricardo es buen amigo'. Ricardo was there on the best day of my life, He was there on the worst days, Ricardo was always there for me. He was a part of our family traditions. Whether it was the county fair or the LA auto show, It was always Isabel, Aria, me and Ricardo. I miss watching the Lakers with you, Golfing together and just hanging out talking about life.

Although you're not with us physically anymore, you live on in the hearts of us all who love you.