Xavier Joseph Padilla

1933 - 2017

March 19, 1933 - August 20, 2017 Passed away at home in Thousand Oaks, California, on August 20, 2017, surrounded by his three daughters. Xavier (Joe) was born in East Los Angeles on March 19, 1933, to Jerome Padilla and Adelina Martin. He graduated from Cantwell High School then enlisted with the US Coast Guard. He was a Radioman during the Korean War with assignments in San Francisco, Hawaii and Japan, and later served in the Coast Guard Reserves achieving the rank of Warrant Officer. Xavier returned to Los Angeles where he married Violet Kazuko Hiratani, his wife of 57 years, and received his BS in Public Administration from USC. He was a Fire Captain for the City of Vernon, and specialized in occupational safety at Four Corners Pipeline, ARCO and Crawford Consulting before retiring. He enjoyed playing golf, tennis, horse racing and traveling, and was devoted to his family and grandchildren Cory, Alex and Lana. Xavier is survived by Sandy and Ed Smith, Lisa Padilla and Greg Hise, Linda and Shaun McCray, and his loving sisters, Carmen Schneider, Cecelia Weismann and Anna Sievers. Family members will commemorate his life privately.