Rogelio Ramirez Gallegos

Rogelio Ramirez Gallegos, age 93 of Livermore California, was called home to be with The Lord, on August,15, 2025.
He will always be loved, greatly missed, and will never be forgotten.
Rogelio was the adored father of 6 children, Antonio Gallegos of Fair Oaks, Ca, Rafael Gallegos of Newark, Ca, Elias Gallegos of San Marcos Ca.(deceased), Benito Gallegos of Livermore Ca, Anita Barriga of Livermore Ca, & Cecilia Carrasco of San Jose Ca. Rogelio had 3 older brothers, (all deceased) & 3 sisters (2 deceased).
He was a reserved, hardworking and humble man. Rogelio was born on January 10, 1932 in Potrero De Gallegos, Valparaíso Zacatecas, México, to Elías Gallegos & Feliciana Ramírez. Rogelio's father passed away when Rogelio was only 3-4 years old. At that age Rogelio & his older brother Benito went to live with their uncle Agustine Ramirez. Rogelio loved his uncle but went through hard times. Rogelio had to drop out of school after 3rd grade so he could help with chores and contribute to bringing income to the family. In 1949 at age 17 he made up his mind he would leave Mexico to follow in his brothers' footsteps in search of a better life and come to America. He sold his horse & gave away his saddle, (or the other way around) as he planned to never move back to Mexico. He worked in the fields of New Mexico, Texas, Arizona & California, picking cotton, fruits, vegetables and doing other odd jobs. He rode the trains with friends & coworkers as a way of free transportation from one location/state to another in search of work. At times, having no money or food, he would knock on doors to ask for handouts. By the mid 1950's he had saved enough money to buy a 1950 FORD auto. A few yrs later around 1958 he met his wife Maria Abigail Duarte when he was about 26 & she was about 16. They fell in love, got married in 1959, bought a little adobe home in Juarez Mexico as he did not yet have documents to live in the U.S.
His first two sons were born, (1960 & 1961), in El Paso Tx. In 1962 they finally had all their documents to "Come to America" legally. Together with his in-law's family, his two sons & wife, (expecting 3rd son), they came to Esparto, Ca and his 3rd son was born in Woodland Ca. After 1 year, finding no steady work, they moved to S.F. East Bay in 1963 settling in Alvarado Ca. In 1964 his 4th son was born in Hayward Ca. His BIG DREAM was to buy a home of his own asap for his family. After renting a one-bedroom apartment for 1-2 years, earning $1.25 per hour, his dream came true. He had saved enough to buy his 1st home in California. He was able to afford a 2 bedroom/1 bath home in Hayward Ca. In 1972 he bought a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home in Newark Ca. Around 1978, he bought a 10-acre Apricot orchard with compadre Magdaleno. He loved working on his own orchard and co-owned it for about 20 yrs. During that time all his 6 children married. He sold his Newark home to his son Rafael, and he bought a 2-story home on 20 acres across the street from the orchard. He was so happy living on his farm with wife Maria. They only lived on the farm for 3 yrs as his wife got sick. To be closer to family & medical facilities, he sold the farm and bought a 4-bedroom home in Livermore Ca.
One of his first jobs in 1964 was working in a flower nursery for a couple of years. He then found employment at Hayward Golf Course as a groundskeeper from about 1966 to 1986 when it closed then he worked at Sunol Valley Country Club as a groundskeeper till his retirement in 1993.
Rogelio loved talking about and investing in real estate. He encouraged & helped all his kids and anyone who was interested in buying at least one home. He enjoyed growing & caring for his fruit trees and vegetables in his garden. He mowed his lawn as well as his neighbors for many years. He also enjoyed working with wood in his garage. What he loved most was seeing his kids & grand kids do well.
All of Rogelio's family & friends are immensely proud of him and his accomplishments. He was an amazing father, husband, brother, cousin, uncle, grandpa, great grandpa, godfather and friend.
Rogelio is survived by his wife Maria A. Gallegos, one sister, Francisca Gallegos Hernandez, three sons, Antonio Gallegos, Rafael Gallegos & Benito Gallegos, two daughters, Anita Barriga & Cecilia Carrasco. He is also survived by 16 grandchildren, five great grandchildren, many nieces, nephews & cousins.
Rogelio will remain in the hearts of everyone who knew him. Words cannot express how grateful we are for your generous support and encouraging words. Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers in our time of need.
Services for Rogelio are on September 5, 2025, at St. Michael Catholic Church. The viewing is at 10:00 AM, funeral mass at 11:00 AM, followed by committal at St. Michael Cemetery.
God bless you.