JOHN DUQUE FIGUEROA

John D. Figueroa, 86, passed away in his home in Oxnard on Tuesday, May 22, 2012. He had resided in Oxnard for 65 years and dearly loved his home. He had been ill for a year and after several hospitalizations in April and May, he went home to spend his final days with family and friends.

John was born on July 10, 1925, in Shallow Water, Texas. He was one of eight children born to Consuelo and John Figueroa. He went into the Army during WWII at the age of 18. He received his jump training in England in 1944, and parachuted into Holland with the 101st Airborne Division as part of Operation Market Garden. He was injured in his hand and abdomen by shrapnel and very fortunate that a quick evacuation to a nearby field hospital saved his life. John was awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. He spent two years on and off in VA hospitals in Pasadena and Redwood City, Calif., undergoing operations and therapy on his right hand.

In between hospitalizations, he would return to the family home in Lubbock, Texas. At a small grocery store he met Rachel Inez Gregory. They fell in love and came to Oxnard in 1947 to be married. John was an apprentice baker at Meyers Bakery in downtown Oxnard.

Inez and John had three children. He is survived by two of them: John D. Figueroa III (Aurora, Colo) and Juanita Figueroa (Santa Monica, Calif). Sadly, their daughter, Elaine, died in a car accident when she was 19.

John wanted to work for the state of California but he did not have a high school diploma. He attended night school at Oxnard Adult School and proudly earned his GED. He then went to work as a baker at Camarillo State Hospital, then Ventura School. He retired at age 55 from Ventura School.

John was a member of the Oxnard Church of Christ for over sixty years and helped out in the church in many ways. He worked with the Spanish-speaking congregation, and was a trustee of the church. He also helped with maintenance projects around the church. At one time he participated in a jail visitation program. He particularly enjoyed serving as the baker at the annual summer church camp in the San Bernardino Mountains (Camp Tanda). John was famous for his cinnamon rolls and other delicious pastries. He was generous in many ways to his brothers and sisters in Christ, and supported the activities of the church with his time and his donations.

He made many ongoing charitable donations over the years, including donations to many veterans groups such as the Disabled American Veterans (he was a Life member), Veterans of Foreign Wars, Blinded Veterans Association, and Soldiers' Angels. He made donations to numerous groups seeking cures for various diseases & illnesses. He donated to the Ventura County Rescue Mission and sponsored a little girl to go to a Christian school (operated by Church of Christ members) in Panama.

John was known as someone who was always ready to help his family and friends--whatever was needed. He was hard-working, dependable, responsible, and his seriousness was punctuated by a sense of humor. Over the years his El Camino (he had three in his lifetime) was at the ready if anyone needed help moving something.

In 1994 the Dutch government honored many of The Liberators of Holland, including John, in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Liberation of Holland. He and his wife, along with other WWII veterans and their spouses, spent an all-expenses-paid-for two weeks in Holland being honored by the people of Holland. They were treated like royalty. They enjoyed it so much that when a second opportunity came to return to Holland several years later with other disabled veterans, they traveled again to Holland.

John's wife of 54 years, Rachel Inez, passed away in 2001. A year later he married Ann Ellis, a widow from Lebanon, Oregon. They were very fortunate to fall in love, and were married by the minister of the Ventura Church of Christ, Dave Schulze. Dave will officiate at John's funeral service this coming week.

During their almost ten years together John and Ann enjoyed dining out, going to church together, and watching Dodgers and Angels baseball games. In his younger years, John liked to watch boxing on television (matches telecast from the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles.) In his later years he enjoyed watching television shows on the Military History, History, and National Geographic channels.

John is survived by his wife, Ann; his son, John; John's daughter, Leanne Figueroa (son-in-law Mark Garcia) and children Rachel and Marley. He is also survived by his daughter Juanita Figueroa (son-in-law JD London). Surviving sisters of John are Connie Figueroa, and Pauline Gonzalez (husband John Gonzalez, and their sons Jesse and John Gonzalez). John's surviving brother is Albert Arriola. John's other surviving nephews include Raymond and Hiram Hernandez (sons of John's sister Ruth Hernandez and her husband Raymond), nephews Angel Jr. and Dan Figueroa (sons of John's older brother Angel). Surviving nieces include Connie Yaez (husband Al and children Elaine Williams, Cynthia Yaez, and Jonathan Yaez), and Frances (daughter of John's brother Angel). Preceding John in death were his brothers Angel, Merced and Manuel Figueroa; sisters Ruth Hernandez, and Corrine Montoya; and niece Patricia (daughter of Pauline and John Gonzalez).

At the end of his life, John thought more often about his days during WWII. Sometimes he dreamed about the day he jumped out of the airplane into Holland on a Sunday afternoon, and how he was later injured by shrapnel from exploding shells. At the end of his life John took his final jump--but this time he wasn't jumping into war, but into peace.

Services for John will be held on Wednesday, May 30, at Funeraria del Angel, 401 W. Channel Islands Blvd., Oxnard, CA. Viewing will be from 9-11 am that morning, and the service will begin at 11 am. Interment will follow at Conejo Mountain Memorial Park, Camarillo, CA.