Julian Rocha Eulogy

Eulogy for Julian Rocha (1954 – 2009)

Below are a few of the readings from the service.

Daddy - By Melissa Rocha

My dad, or as I called him 'daddy' He was my 'cool' dad, a friend, someone I could talk to about things not
every daughter could talk to their dad about. And he was so funny! I used to love when he would come up to
tell me bedtime stories using my stuffed animals. He would give them names and impersonate funny voices
and make them do silly things like fart on one another! He also taught me how to shoot pool at about 8 years
old. He was an avid pool shooter, and his favorite movie was 'The Color of Money'. He would play back the line
"money won is twice as sweet as money earned"... He loved to hustle a few pool games in his day! I also loved
staying up with my dad to watch shows like 'Monday Night Raw', wrestling and 'In Living Color', even though I
didn’t understand most of the jokes at the time. He took me to my very first rock concert when I was 13. Stone
Temple Piolets, and we enjoyed many more after that too! I thought it was so cool that my dad liked the same
music as I did. But nevertheless, he showed me what 'good, honest, hard work' meant. I accompanied him on
job sites at age 12. We would do anything from cleaning houses, doing yard work, even going to the dump. I
enjoyed every bit of it because I was with my dad, and that’s all that mattered. I really looked up to him in this
way Daddy's little helper he would call me....

He was also a nurturing son, a quipster-like grandfather, an endearing significant other, a bantering yet loyal
friend or co-worker. But one thing is certain, he was an unforgettable individual to everyone that knew him
well enough. He was humorous, animated, bold, and quick-witted. A straightforward, intelligent confidant.
He loved to give advice to others. Yet he was also very simple and practical man for the most part. He would
always make fun of our high-tech cell phones, and computers. He never needed such amenities in his life, nor
did he rely on them. He was also a bit of a loose cannon if you know what I mean! He was a little mischievous
and had probably gotten himself in one too many sticky situations at times. One of the greatest things I
remember about him is that he was a great, captivating story teller, you could always count on him for a n
interesting, wild or funny story to tell about a life experience of his own or someone he knew; most the time
ending in a lesson learned in the form of a punchline. Yes, quite the jokester he was too, with an infectious
laugh at that! Sometimes I would find myself laughing before he finished a joke because he would start to
laugh before he could even finish himself!

My dad was fun, exciting, the center of attention at times, while others, he was quietly in the background,
most the time BBQing, cooking, always making sure we were fed well at special occasions, parties and
birthdays! He definitely knew how to entertain his guests! Every birthday party I had as a young girl, daddy
was always making sure everyone was fed and having a good time. Most of the time it was hard to get a good
picture of him during these occasions because he was always on the move!

He was also a truly loyal, dedicated, sweet and gentle man, especially when looking after his family. Not
always did we get to see this side of him, for he was quite stubborn at times too. With that said he was so
devoted to providing and caring for us, especially in a time of need, that many times he sacrificed his own
comfort to do this for us, which is truly admirable to me. He just enjoyed feeling appreciated. He worked so
hard almost all his life to do make sure we were always okay... But don’t get me wrong, he definitely had his
play time too, but he was honestly the hardest working person I’ve ever known. Sometimes we wouldn’t see
him on holidays such as Christmas or Thanksgiving because he was working, and for a while I never
understood that. But now I know it was just because he wanted the very best for us and would stop at nothing
to make sure of that.

He was not always vocal about emotions, I'm sure many would agree with me on this. But I know
how he showed every bit through his actions, the things he would do, or the things he would go without,
which to me, is more than words could ever say. He may not have always said the "I love you's'' or things like
that, but his actions of being a hardworking man, yet generous soul, and exceptional provider, spoke
volumes. "Actions speak louder than words", I would always think to myself. My dad was not a talker, he was a
doer, a go-getter, so to speak. He was very adamant about making things happen. So, I know he loved and
cared for each one of us, so much that he didn’t have to say it, you knew it because you could feel it.
So today 'Daddy’, I just want to let you know that I am very thankful for everything you've done for me, and how
joyful and blessed I've been to have had you in my life for the 26 years of my life. It has meant the world to
me. And although you are not physically here anymore, I know without a doubt, you are still here to continue
to watch over us and be there no matter what like you always have been!!

A Simple Man - By Wesley Rocha

My Dad was a simple man. He did not need much to get by. He took what he had and made the most of it. He
liked cars but didn’t need a fancy car. He liked money and success but didn’t need a lot to be happy. He loved
sports, especially the Green Bay Packers, (which are 9 and 4 now), and a part of me thinks my dad helped
them win those last 2 games, I mean you should have seen this last Sunday when Ryan Grant ran 62 years for
a touchdown --- but anyway… My Dad and I would talk sports every week. I miss his calls on Sundays during
the games. We would talk about business, as we exchanged ideas about each other’s business and thought
about how we can take it to the next step. These things are the things we had most in common and I am glad
as those qualities can live on through me and hopefully my kids as well.

He also loved cooking; he was great at the grill as well as in the kitchen. He loved the movie Color of Money;
he probably watched that movies 1000 times. He was also a jokester. He was always making Jokes; he was
the funny guy in the room. That is probably one of things everyone remembers about my dad.
He was young at heart, but wise in his mind. He would get along with all ages he could hang out with me and
my friends and they would say, “Wes, you have a cool dad”. Years back my Dad and I bought a house and we
moved in together. We had a pool table right in the living room. My Dad was a pool shark. He played pool for
years and was really good. He taught me, my sister my and mom how to be better pool shooters, that was
always fun. We would have marathon competitions with my friends and go all night competing and shooting
pool. My Dad and I spent a lot of time together during those years and had gotten very close. We watched
EVERY Packers game together and even went to a few. I know my dad lived his life to the fullest. He always
would tell me, “Life is short”, you got to do it while you can and know he took any opportunity he had to enjoy
something in life... had my Dad had a bucket list, I’d guess he would have 98% of those things checked off by
now.

My Dad was always there when I or my sister was in need. He was always bailing us out of our situations and
talking to us, but never really lectured us. He thought it was important to learn by our own mistakes. He would
always be giving people advice. He was always wanting to just help someone get ahead in life, his co -workers,
friends, kids and family. He always put everyone’s needs before his own, especially for us kids. I know he
loved us a lot and would do anything he could for us.

My Dad didn’t want much, he didn’t need much… I think most of all, he wants his kids to be successful and
just out of trouble. He wanted good kids who made good decisions and learned from his mistakes. I know my
Dad loved my sister and I and was proud of us. He did make sure to always tell me, that he was proud and he
loved me and while my Dad made his share of mistakes…., some which have given him some fun little adventures, and

A Secret Hero - By Oscar L.

My name is Oscar L. and Julian was my cousin. I am sorry that I cannot be there in person to say what is about
to be read but I want everyone to know what Julian meant to me.

Julian was a couple of years older than me, so when we lived in Laredo, Texas and used to go visit my aunts
and him it was a great treat. You see Julian was cool and I looked up to him. He was a great athlete, and he
was good at everything. He used to be very good at playing with marbles and he used to have big bags of all
types and sizes of marbles. He was also very good at spinning tops, and he had some really nice ones. He
would always try to teach us how to spin tops, but I could never do it as well as he did.

When we heard that my aunts and he were moving to California, I was sad because it meant that we were not
going to see him very often. When my aunt wrote to my mom, she would talk about how Julian was surfing. It
did not surprise me because I knew that he was such a great athlete. I was so jealous of him and at the same
time, I was proud that he was my cousin.

In 1980 or 1981 my wife and I moved to Bakersfield, California so we had an opportunity to go see my aunts
and Julian. He and Doreen had just bought a house in Pomona, California. When we came to visit them,
Doreen was working that Saturday, but he was at home with Wesley, who was about 2 years old. I remember
him showing me their house and I was so impressed because they had brick edging next to the sidewalk and
was even more impressed when he told me that he had done it himself. It looked awesome, he did a super
job. I guess this was about the time that I decided to learn how to do things myself, to learn how to be a
handyman. I never told anyone including Julian, but he was my inspiration to becoming the handyman that I
have become.

Later on he had told me that he had become a part owner of a bar. Being an accountant, I knew how risky it
was to take on such an endeavor. When I saw Julian, I told him I thought what he was doing was great and that
he was now an entrepreneur. I will never forget his reaction; he had a big grin on his face and said what an
entrepreneur? No man, he said. Yes, that is what you are, you are an entrepreneur. I think that he had never
really thought about what he was doing in those terms, but it hit a nerve with him. I could tell that it affected
him in a good way. I think for the first time he did see himself as one and I think he was proud of himself. Once
again, I looked up to Julian for being a risk taker, someone that I wanted to be like but just didn’t have the guts
to take the risks, but that’s accountants for you.

The thing is that Julian was a risk taker. It takes a risk taker to go into business for yourself. So, Wesley, now
you know where you got your entrepreneurship from.

Well, that is all I have to say about the cousin that I always looked up to. I have never told anyone that Julian
was my hero, but I am glad that everyone now knows what my cousin meant to me. Farewell cousin, I love
you, I will miss you, but you will always be my hero.