Eddie Pena passed away at home on January 7th 2022. Eddie was born in Eagle Pass, Texas on December 23rd,1950 to Odilia San Miguel and Jose de Jesus Pena. They had four boys, Manuel, Joe, Robert and Eddie. When the boys were young, the family moved to California.
Eddie was called into the US Army during the Vietnam War and was stationed in Germany. He was a lineman and worked in communications for a while. He then went to the motor pool where he worked on trucks and tanks. Eddie was quite popular and he was always the life of the party. Eddie's mother would mail him care packages with homemade flour tortillas which he happily shared with his friends. He served nearly 2 years on active duty and 14 years as a reserve. He then continued to serve in the National Guard for an additional 10 years.
In addition to his military service he enjoyed working various jobs as a foreman, supervisor and mechanic. From Monterey Mushrooms to US Rentals to Gilroy/Olam Foods, he worked hard and was best known as Chucky. Sometimes you would even find him bar tending at El Teatro Campesino in San Juan Bautista in the 80's. Eddie also volunteered for wildlife animal rescues in Santa Clara and Napa County throughout the years. He rehabilitated many wild and domestic animals but his favorites were squirrels and hawks.
He was always going somewhere and doing something. Whether it was going to help a friend fix their car, help in the yard, a broken stove or just meeting someone for lunch, he was always on the move. It didn't matter how far he had to drive, he was always there when you needed him. If he really liked you he would show up unexpectedly with a small token of appreciation to make you feel special. Although he had a rough and tough exterior he had a huge heart and was always there for the ones he loved or called a friend, ALWAYS. We knew whenever he showed up, we better have a cold beer or shot ready for him, no matter what time of day, he was ready!
He was a private man and lived his life on his terms. He was a huge kid at heart and loved being independent and always wanted to have as many toys as possible. From Snoopy's to Star Wars he enjoyed his toys, RC cars, drones and RC helicopters. He had 4 work stations at home and each one had something he was working on at all times. He loved old westerns, Saturday morning cartoons, funny movies and crime shows. He was also a lifelong Raider fan and would let you know it, even if that caused a fight!
Eddie loved his family dearly. He leaves behind his ex-wife and life-long friend Maria; daughters, Erika (Son-in-Law James), Gabriela, Veronica (Son-in-Law Jaime); Sons, Nitaly (Daughter-in-Law Becky), and Joseph; 12 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren who will miss him so very much. We will miss his laughter, his songs, his silliness, his grumpiness, his dorky dances but most of all, his hugs. We love you Pop-A-Dop.