Joaquin Dominguez's Obituary
Joaquin Dominguez Jr. was born on May 1, 1943, in Mazatlan, Mexico, to Hilaria and Joaquin Dominguez Sr. His father was given the opportunity to move his family to the U.S. through the Merchant Marines, and they settled in San Francisco in 1945.After graduating from Mission High School in 1961, Joaquin enlisted into the army when he was seventeen years old. He was stationed in Germany for three years. Upon his return from Germany in 1964, he met Felicitas Piedra Gonzalez, and soon after, married her on April 18, 1965.Joaquin was a man of many trades, including being a florist receiving clerk, a truck driver, and a carpenter. In 1977, he fulfilled his life-long dream of becoming a police officer. He was an officer for 25 years, and chose this career to provide a better life for his wife and three children, Elizabeth Hilaria (born in 1966), Ricardo Manuel (born in 1967), and Martha Cristina (born in 1969). In addition, Joaquin and Feliz wanted another son, and in 1987, they adopted Isaias (Chy). Joaquin was such a hard worker. He always thought of ways to bring more money into the house for his family, including working as a carpenter on the side of his career. He always wanted more to give to his children, and fought to give them the best life possible.At the age of 50, when all of his children moved from home, Joaquin pursued another of his highly coveted goals; he went to college. He attended the College of San Mateo, and earned an Associates of Arts in Business Management in 2000.Joaquin struggled with diabetes, which resulted in the loss of his leg in 2008. Because of this serious threat to his life, Joaquin gave his life to God, with the help of his brothers in Christ, Hugo, Ted, and Francisco, and the unfailing faith of his wife Feliz. After becoming a Christian, Joaquin loved studying his Bible with several ministries at the Church of the Highlands. During his walk with Jesus, Joaquin was extremely supported by his friends, who he considered brothers.Leading up to Joaquin's final weeks, his health rapidly declined without warning. He was diagnosed with cancer in the liver, which then spread to his spine; however, it was not the cancer that took the life of Joaquin, but the failure of his kidneys. In his last days he found comfort in his wife and children, who never left his side, and peace being surrounded by his loved ones, and most importantly, through Christ.There is so much more to the life of Joaquin that could never be reduced to words on a paper. He was a good man, father, husband, a fierce friend, and he was never one to complain. He worked hard for his family, and when he grew old, he never stopped giving his best to others. The greatest lesson he learned was to trust in God, and give Him control of his life. That is what he would want us to learn from him. Joaquin's life was a lesson, and his death was just the beginning.Joaquin died on May 23, 2013 at 9:30 am. He is survived by his wife of 48 years, four children, 13 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren, in addition to all the children who became his family, by walking through the front door.
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