Ricardo Bonilla Salinas

1953 - 2025

Ricardo Bonilla Salinas
July 20, 1953 - August 5, 2025
Ricardo Salinas left this earth on August 5. He was born Richard Bonilla Salinas on July 20, 1953, in San Antonio, Texas, to Jesse M. Salinas and Sophia née Bonillas. He is survived by his husband, Richard Kisling, of Petaluma, California; his sisters, Sylvia Sandoval (Alan) and Sandra Salinas (Armando), in San Antonio; and numerous nieces, nephews, and other relatives. His older brother, Rolando, passed away in 2020.
Ricardo liked to tell the story that he came to San Francisco for a one-week vacation in 1981 but immediately decided to stay forever. He worked at UCSF for over twenty years, but it was two jobs early in his work life-in the Detox Unit at the Haight-Ashbury Free Medical Clinic and with the AIDS Health Project at San Francisco General Hospital-that gave him the most satisfaction. He retired in 2012, and he and his husband moved from San Francisco to Petaluma.
Ricardo had been in declining health for the past four years, but he maintained his buoyant alegría de vivir throughout this time. He celebrated his seventy-second birthday just weeks before he died. He was cared for in his final week by a beloved cousin, Laura Barron, and a dear niece, Linda McCormick, with support from the team at Continuum Hospice.
He was curious and enthusiastic about almost everything, and he had eclectic interests in music, literature, cuisine, spirituality, and friends. In music, Frank Zappa might represent one end of the spectrum, with Richard Strauss and Gustav Mahler the other, for example, with a few good Mexican "ranchera" tunes and a couple of songs from Broadway shows somewhere in between. Ricardo believed that we could all make a difference in the world, and he did his best to live his life with color and flair, authenticity and goodness.
"Celebration of Life" on September 27 at 2:00 p.m. in the parish hall at St. John's Episcopal Church in Petaluma, 530 C Street between Fifth and Sixth Streets. Refreshments will be served-please call or text 707-241-5018, if you will be able to attend. Try to wear light, bright colors, such as white, orange, or pink, as a way to remember our friend Ricardo!