Alberto Jiménez

How lucky we are to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard" -A.A. Milne Alberto Jimenez died on August 5, 2018, in San Luis Obispo at the age of 74 and left behind a legacy of love and memories for all who were lucky enough to be loved by him. Born in Moron, Cuba in 1944, Al was raised by his loving parents until Castro took over Cuba. His parents sent him to the USA through an underground exodus program for Cuban minors called Pedro Pan. Al arrived in the U.S. at age 17 alone with one suitcase, no knowledge of the English language, and a fierce determination to succeed. He finished high school, then went on to college with a few other Pedro Pan teens in Wichita, Kansas. There he fell in love with his beloved Judy. They married in 1965 and Judy quickly learned to speak Spanish and cook Cuban food for her favorite guy. In 1967 he proudly became a naturalized U.S. citizen. By 1976, he and Judy had four wonderful daughters and Al had a PhD in Electrical Engineering. After 15 years with IBM, Al took his family to Silicon Valley in 1983 and was involved in a few very exciting start-ups due to his highly respected software programming abilities. Al was also an early bicycle commuter and marathoner. He rode his bike to work throughout his life whether it was a 2 mile or 11 mile commute each way. Al and Judy retired to San Luis Obispo to get out of the busy Bay Area. After a few years of retirement, Al realized that retirement was not for him; he was too smart to not share his knowledge with others. He began to teach in the Math Department at Cal Poly, and ended up with a second career. He taught everything from Calculus to Numerical Analysis for 12 years until retiring once again in 2013. Even after that, he still competed in an online coding and mathematics competition with IEEE every year. During this time, Al also volunteered countless hours with the Assistance League of SLO County helping the League immensely by creating an online management website to facilitate scheduling and databases for their main philanthropic program, Operation School Bell. Al's gifts were so much more than his intelligence and programming abilities. He was a beloved husband of 53 years to Judy, a loving and engaged father to his four daughters and their husbands, and an amazing Grampy/Grampers to his 5 grandchildren. As DaD, he and Judy raised their daughters to be smart, strong and independent adults with love and humor. As Grampy, he has done the same. His grandchildren have grown up with his love, and his goofy "Grampyisms." Their fondest memories are of building a treehouse in Grampy's treasured Avocado Tree and then sleeping up there with him, playing around with music and bongos, and "Froggin'" in his old green Jeep to Cal Poly for Grampy's special "Drive through Petting Zoo." Al lived a full life spending time doing activities he loved. Besides sitting in his FBC (Favorite Blue Chair) to work on his computers, he also loved to drive all over the country with Judy in their small motorhome visiting National Parks and family and friends. Al was a passionate amateur photographer; He always had one of his numerous cameras with him to take beautiful photos of the landscape and of his loved ones. His photos take us on journeys to the National Parks and the California Coastline, as well as the warm Beaches of Florida and the Caribbean Islands. These photographic archives of their travels and our family could fill up a Smithsonian. Grampy-DaD-Al is survived by his beloved wife, Judy; his four daughters and their husbands: Tres Jimenez and Jack Allen of Oakland, Lisa and Tim Jouet of SLO, Susie and Ben Lerner of SLO, and Ani and Monico Casillas of Santa Barbara. He leaves behind his 5 treasured grandchildren: Olive Fontaine (23), Isaac Lerner (17), Eden Lerner (14), Nico Casillas (14) and Kiki Jouet (12). The immediate family is planning a small private ceremony. In lieu of flowers, we ask that you consider a donation in Al's name to the Assistance League of SLO County.