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Charles Palomares Obituary
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Memories and Condolences
for Charles Palomares
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1 Entry
Karen Johnson
October 2, 2023
This was written by Charles as a homily for Don Johnson's Memorial Service, May 19, 2018.
It describes so well the life that Charles had with his PacBell friends here in the Bay Area:
Feb. 1st, 1996, was a typical San Francisco winter morning; No rain, but still damp. Different for me who had just come up for a three year special project for Pacific Telephone. As I walked across Geary Street from the Jack Tar Hotel on Van Ness, to the bus stop next to "Tommy's Joynt', I saw some one apparently waiting for the same bus that I planned to catch. He carried the same 'cheap' briefcase that I did. Company issued. On a hunch I asked him if he was going to the IBM school on Market Street. That was the beginning of a friendship that lasted 52 years!
In the next month we met Del Davis who came in March and AJ Hooper who I think preceded us.
We carpooled together for over fifteen years, once we with our families located within a mile or so of each other in Concord and Walnut Creek. Our wives had supported each other in the house-hunting and family relocating. Our families went together in the many activities that marked our times as we raised our kids. AJ and Pat left us to go to Bishop after we retired. It seemed the Hoopers were always moving around every year or two anyway.
We even bowled together, husbands and wives in the 'Ding-a-Lings', I think that was the name of the league.
Our carpool sometimes added an extra person for Friday driving but most of the time we all had our own day and shared the Fridays. In those days almost everyone smoked. Del and AJ even smoked cigars. Del, those little black ones we accused him of picking up from the lawn.
We always had interesting conversations. With our mix of different political persuasions, we learned to take it easy on them. We would have discussions on whether the fog we were driving through was ocean fog, tule fog or river fog. We wonder what the little flapper on the exhaust of the diesel trucks was for. You get the picture.
Del and Don had a cabin at Tahoe together. Don and I took an extensive Northern California fishing trip when I got my own camper. We used to hunt with little success in the Sierra and the Trinities. We backpacked on the John Muir trail, in other parts of the Sierra and other Northern California ranges.
As time passed we lost Mike first, my wife Jean next, then Carol Davis a couple of years ago. Pat Hooper left us just few months ago.
Don moved out of his house, eventually coming to Rossmoor. We went out occasionally. Not as often as we should have. I sometimes joined him at Rossmoor. We kept in touch by telephone; reminding each other of the various political shenanigans until it got too painful.
We reminded each other of the various sport events we would watch; the TV time and day. He loved to watch tennis; probably because Mike played. When my sister was visiting me, she would ask me why he hadn't called to remind me to call him.
I miss him.
I hope you have enjoyed this wonderful remembrance from Charles about my Dad Don Johnson and know that we sure enjoyed growing up with him and his family and will miss him as well.
Karen Johnson
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