Jose T. De Lara

Jose T. De Lara, 78, was born on March 2, 1939 in Tacoaleche, Zacatecas, Mexico and passed away on August 14, 2017. He resided in Coachella, California at the time of his passing. Our father came to the United States when he was 17. He crossed the border near Brownsville, Texas, sin papeles. He had already lived a hard life in Mexico, gathering wood as a child to make the charcoal he sold for food. Drinking water from pestilent rivers. Picking splinters from his often bare feet. Once in the U.S. he followed the crops—asparagus and apples in Washington, grapes in California, potatoes in Idaho. My jefito could not write or read but he somehow managed to run a business for more than 50 years - part of the reason he did so was to keep his children from working in the fields. He often told stories of his early life to make sense of the hard man he had become. Yet somehow beneath the sternness there was a dogged devotion to family. He also learned to smile more during his final years, especially for his grandchildren. Dozens of us were there last Monday when he took his final breath. We sat with his body well past midnight, hours after he had passed, telling stories about his stubbornness, his aloofness, and his fierce sense of loyalty. We love you dad. Jose is survived by his wife Esperanza, his 8 children, Raul, Maria, Rosa, Alfredo, Miguel, Jose Jr, Juan, Gregorio, thirty-nine grandchildren, and thirty-nine great grandchildren. We encourage you to use Damara's Flowers if you wish to send an arrangement for the services. They can be reached at 760-398-4491. http://www.damarasflowers.com Arrangements are under the direction of Forest Lawn Mortuary, Coachella, California.