My father Leopoldo Reyes was strong hard working man.
He was born in San Luis Potosí Mexico and like most of our Mexican parents he had little to no education.
He didn’t even get through half of elementary school.
Even though this was true for him he never let that hold him back.
In his early 20s he immigrated to the US with little to nothing
He worked lots of jobs but started working construction and never left it unless it was for the kitchen, he loved to cook.
His line of work was mainly residential but also commercial. In the 50 years he was a resident of the Los Angeles county He saw the San Fernando valley and the greater Los Angeles area grow into what it is today. Contributing to the growth with his hard work.
He new our city so well I remember being with him in the car and wondering where we were going because he never used gps or maps.
My father wasn’t a perfect man and had a lot of flaws but he woke up every morning at the crack of dawn to get ready for work with a positive attitude.
Growing up I never understood why he was gone all the time and why he was always so far. As I got older I learned of my older siblings and then understood he had more responsibilities than we could ever understand. He did his best to love us & be present.
Being an immigrant parent, raising first generation Americans on minimal education was difficult but he taught us work ethic and positivity. He taught us how to get through life when life isn’t hading out any freebies.
We all eventually grew up and are now struggling to put into fruition the things he taught us in our own lives with our own children.
We weren’t ready to see our dad go but we will carry our fathers memory and life lessons with us everyday of our lives.
