RICHARD OLAGUE

1948 - 2022

RICHARD ESPINOZA OLAGUE

July 28, 1948 Aug. 1, 2022

Richard Espinoza Olague, 74, of El Centro, CA passed away Monday, August 1, 2022 surrounded by his loving family at UCSD La Jolla. He was born July 28, 1948 in Calexico, CA. He was the fourth son to David and Ruth Olague. Richard attended Calexico schools graduating in 1966. As one of five boys Richard and his brothers were inseparable. Many in Calexico still tell stories of the Olague brothers.

In his youth, he played football and basketball but truly excelled at swimming. As part of the Calexico Wetbacks swim team (that really was the official name) Richard and younger brother, Larry earned a number of awards and set several swim records under coach Orbia Hanks. He worked for various public entities including the City of Calexico, the County of Imperial and the City of El Centro. His most rewarding job was working in the nursery at Calexico Hospital as he loved tending to the newborns. It was at Calexico Hospital that he met Julia Corona. They were married in 1975. To many, Richard and Julia seemed like polar opposites, but their love, core values and commitment to one another kept their marriage strong. They were just shy of 47 years when Richard passed.

As an adult, Richard enjoyed playing rec league basketball and football and cheering on his Minnesota Vikings. His home life was focused on coaching and supporting his kids' activities and was a father figure to many of his son's friends, who knew him as Pops. They knew they could count on Pops to help them out of a bind and also count on him to be the life of the party. Richard was extremely hard working and amazingly strong. His oldest grandson, Dominic remembers his Tata knocking down trees with his bare hands. Richard's big hands, strength and size earned him the nickname, Tata Shrek. Yet, he also had a tender side, especially when it had to do with his granddaughters. His oldest granddaughter, Jocey will carry and cherish the memory of Tata arriving at her front door with a bouquet of white roses ready to take her on their first date.

After more than 30 years working for the City of El Centro Richard retired in 2011. In 2014, he suffered a stroke and could not walk, talk or see, but he wasn't down for long. With his wife's unwavering support and his incredible work ethic he recovered and was soon back to working in his yard and focusing on his family. On most any given night, Richard could be found at one of his grandkid's many activities. Whether it was cheer, dance, volleyball, softball, baseball, swimming, football, track, he was his grandchildren's biggest fan. His life's joy was being a Tata. Richard was well known in the community. He couldn't leave the house without finding an old friend or making new ones. He always had a smile on his face and lived in a positive mood.

He was preceded in death by his parents; daughter, Cassandra Olague; brothers, David and Manuel Olague and mother-in-law, Hermelinda Corona.

He is survived by his wife, Julia Olague; sons, Richard and Jerry Meza, Ricardo (Yazmin) Olague; daughter, Angelica (Mark) Olague Myers; brothers, Fernando and Larry Olague and grandchildren, Dominic, Jocelynn, Jackson, Emi, Ricardo Jr, Melinda, Yazlyn and Ruthie. Richard also shared many memories and laughs with his very loyal life-long friend, David Acuna.

A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, August 20, 2022 at Hems Brothers Mortuary in El Centro, CA from 9 to 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.