Ruben Davila

Ruben was born in Chicago Heights, IL on 11/22/1972 (nine years after Kennedy was shot). He loved that and always had a draw/interest in JFK. He pretty much grew up in and around dirt tracks and racing. Had a knack for getting what he wanted. He told me a story of how he wanted something off the counter at age 4ish, so he stood on returnable glass Pepsi bottles while his Mom was on a phone call. Only to slip and fall breaking the glass. His mom went to grab him, cutting her foot. Ruben somehow came out of it all unscathed. He got what he wanted off the counter.

As he grew up he always found a group of friends to play with (always a Joey), go fishing with, to test all the ideas that ran through his mind. There were favorite fishing holes and plenty of railroad tracks to flatten a few coins. He spent lots of time with his Mom's Grandparents. There was always a home cooked meal and no one left hungry. This is truly where he found his love language. Food. No matter how many years Ruben smoked cigarettes, he could literally tell you what most things were made with and all the ingredients included.

He moved a lot in his childhood, one house was full of treasures that was once occupied by Capone. Cause as most would say, everyone one in Chicago has a "little bit" of gangster in them. And miraculously everything "falls off a truck" LOL. He spent time with his Dad and Step Mom, Chris. He found his love of motorcycles (starting on a dirt bike) from Chris and her Dad, Grandpa Barney. Rubens family just kept growing.

He moved to South Carolina his senior year in High School and stayed with his childhood friend, Jason. Where he found who would become his first wife, Kathy. After High School he moved to Texas to work near his Mom. Ended up coming back to work at a linen company and marrying Kathy. In true Ruben form the linen company employees seemed to be a little behind the times for a northerner. He walked in and had to use the restroom only to find out in 1991, not everyone seemed to use the same restroom and when he walked in they all said what are you doing in here. He said I have to pee. They said you aren't from around here are you? He said no, I am from Chicago. They all said oh well that explains it. Ruben didn't see people differently, he just saw people. He went to college for a bit and met one of his true ride or dies. Jim. (those stories are best told by Mendicino)

Ruben and Kathy had a daughter, Kristina (Short as I know her). They raised her in South Carolina until she was about 6 and they moved back to Chicago to have Ruben carry on the family tradition of working as a garbage man. His dad, Jesse, worked in garbage for 39 years before he retired. Ruben got to know his sisters. Started building a life for his family. He ended up splitting up with Kathy and married his second wife Cindy, who had two kids, Andrew and Ashley.

He stayed in garbage and was married to Cindy for several years. I met Ruben via a mutual friend who found him through online gaming. The very first text he sent me was "Hey Jo how come every time I hear the song Secret Lovers by Atlantic Star I think of you". LOL and this is where our adventure starts. I moved to Chicago in 2009 and did a great many adventures, time spent in Wisconsin at the camper (a piece of property that was Chris and Pops (Jesse)) and we would take weekend trips with girls in the cars, singing and laughing. We did things with Ruben's sister Bernadette and her kids Cinitha and Miguel (Jr). Ruben found joy in a motorcycle group that just extended our family even more.

We then moved to Iowa in 2014 for work and because Ruben's Aunt Patti lived out here with Uncle Robin and their kids. Aunt Patti is the baby sister to Ruben's mom and was there a lot as Ruben grew up. We came here and Ruben worked 3rd shift and I worked 2nd. He was an hour north and I was an hour south of home. In 2015 he joined the Mason's another round of brothers who left impacts on his life.

In 2016 Ruben found his career here in Boone at a company called PDM. They valued him for all the things he proved he could accomplish. The people there are just as much like family. Ruben found that he could keep himself surrounded with family by recurruting everyone in his Tribe to work with him, one of his proudest was Tyler. It also includes me joining him after he had been there 6 years. In total he spent 9 years and in true form he got to do something different every day. Which made his brain happy.

As my cousin, Vincent, said these are only slices to the orange. There is soooo much more to his story, yet everyone has their stories. Ruben's life was far from rainbows and unicorns. It was more like pixies and ogres with some crooked gangster leans. LOL. To sit here and write it all down would fill a library. He battled some of the biggest battles I have ever seen. I had a ring side seat along with holding steady when he couldn't and he would hold steady when I couldn't. No one gets off this crazy ride alive. So as Ruben would always say, first and foremost it is "all about the kids", always. And you might as well make the best of it while you can, so we laughed hard, loved fiercely and going out sideways was always his plan.

I know you all have your own stories about Ruben and there are so many people he impacted, loved, challenged, pushed, cussed out, pissed off, encouraged, made think, taught, lead, and tripped on occasion. We are all better for having him be a part of our lives and he was better for having all of you in his. Now he gets to see how much he was truly loved and the impact he had on everyone around him.

So Much Love