Jose Jacinto Rodrigues

MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2022
Visitation / Vigil:
5:00PM - 8:00PM
Holy Sepulchre - St. Michael Chapel
1051 Harder Road
Hayward, CA 94542
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2022
Funeral Mass:
10:00AM
Holy Sepulchre Cemetery - Mausoleum Of The Apostles
26320 Mission Blvd
Hayward, CA 94544
Burial:
11:30AM
Holy Sepulchre Cemetery - St. Anthony section
Jose Jacinto Rodrigues passed away in his sleep on the morning of 27 September surrounded by his godson & niece. It was his first restful, pain-free sleep in nearly two years. Tio Jose to so many, Loving Brother, Padrinho, Cousin, Special Brother to his family in Canada, & close friend to so many, Jose was born in Santa Cruz da Flores, Azores Portugal on 22 October 1929 to Antonio & Maria Elisa Rodrigues. He met his beloved wife Olivia while in school & after a 12-year courtship, & a tour in the Portuguese Army, they married on 17 July 1954. Tio Jose, & Tia Olivia were known to have opened their hearts & home to both family & friends on their journey to America. Jose & Olivia provided a home to their only Goddaughter Natalia, who they treated as their daughter, & also his sister Fatima so both could go to school & work until each were married. Jose was preceded in death by his wife of 67 years Olivia just 3 months earlier, parents Antonio & Maria Elisa Rodrigues, father-in-law & wife Francisco Avelar & Maria Alice de Oliveira Brum, sister Maria Elisa Smith, brothers-in-law, Jose & wife Teresa, Antonio, & Fernando Avelar; sisters-in-law, Celina Cardoso, Laura Nunes, Mary Carvalho, Edwina Freitas, Emelia, & Christina Avelar, Fernanda Armas, Alice Conigo, Louisa Salvador; & his loving Goddaughter, Natalia Cardoso. Jose is survived by two sisters, Jacinta Fraga & nieces Elsa &Vonda Bullard, & Fatima Cardoso & husband Gilbert, & nieces Gabriela & Sabrina Ingalls, brothers-in-law Albert & Mario Cardoso, niece Natercia, nephew Albert, special brother & sisters, Maria Jose & Roberto Teixeira, Clementina da Silveira, Odete Sousa, who were all raised together in Santa Cruz da Flores, many nieces, nephews, friends, & one Godson, Delbert Avelar & wife Belky, who had the privilege of being the last caregivers for Jose & Olivia. Jose came to America in 1955 after serving in the Portuguese Army to join his wife Olivia who came ahead to prepare a home for them. Jose was employed by Castco Aluminum & Brass Corporation for over 35 years where he was the wood shop foreman in charge of preparing wooden forms for pouring the castings. He also worked at Foster's Studios making lamp shades & also had a job tanning goat hides. Evenings & weekends, he enjoyed painting houses & making cabinets, tables, desks & entertainment centers, & useful gadgets to help provide a better life for he & Olivia. Many family members, neighbors & friends proudly display his cabinets & woodwork in their homes. He enjoyed gardening, cooking steaks & fish on the grill, carpentry, traveling in his motorhome, but his passion was fishing, especially eating fish. He spent years traveling in his motorhome visiting his family in Canada & taking his goddaughter, nieces & nephew; Natalia, Natercia & Albert & Sister Fatima to Disneyland, Sea World, Reno, Lake Tahoe & many other places. He & Olivia held annual Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas & especially New Year's Eve dinners & celebrations in their home with home cooked food & dancing in the garage that many family members enjoyed & looked forward to each year. Until the week before his death, Jose kept himself busy working in his garden, planting & picking his couves (Portuguese kale), fava beans & tomatoes. He tended to his roses, was in process of repairing a broken chair & insisted on writing his own checks to pay bills. These things kept Jose going, doing things himself & staying busy & taking care of as much as possible. If he let you do something for him & you didn't do it fast enough, he would do it himself or he would call Gilbert over to do it, (even if he told you "no hurry"). He enjoyed Portuguese cooking, but no one could do it as good as Olivia. This was one of the ways he showed his love for his wife, whom he cherished beyond anything. For almost two years, he slept in his recliner in the living room to be near her. No matter how much his back hurt from sleeping in that chair; he insisted on being by her side. Meals had to be served to Olivia first, then he would eat. He loved sopa d'couves, sopa d'carne, Natercia's burritos, his coffee & soup very hot, but his favorite meal was fish! Cook it any way you want, but you had to leave the spine in. Gilbert would bring him fish head soup which he thoroughly enjoyed. The last words he spoke were "Belky" so he could tell her he loved her, & repeatedly calling for "Olivia". Thank you to Dr. Aditya Jain, whom Padrinho respected & trusted until the end for your care, sincerity & friendship you gave for so many years, & to his newest niece Belky for quitting your job & coming here to help me care for our beloved Godparents. You changed his life in the end, as he developed a special bond & love for you very quickly, & only got upset with you once, but he still did what you asked of him. To all who helped care for my Godparents, loved, visited, or called, you will forever be in my heart.
Rest in Peace Padrinho, Brother & Tio. May you & Madrinha be in each other's arms again, & may God hold you both in His Arms for Eternity.