RICHARD CHAVEZ EULOGY
8/1/11
40 ACRES
His set of golf clubs, his work on the family tree, his family and his life’s work with the union is what my Tio Richard lived for.
My name is Fernando Chavez and I am the eldest of Tio Richard’s tribe of nearly_100 , sons— daughters– grand children – great grand children—nieces— nephews, and godchildren too numerous to count.
I want to thank all of you for coming to pay tribute to Richard E. Chavez. I see some of you in the audience that I have not seen in years.
It is a wonderful testament to my uncle Richard that so many people have come to pay their final respects.
My uncle Richard was a simple person. As Sir Winston Churchill said, “All great things are simple, and may be expressed in a single word, Justice–, Honor,– Dignity,– Duty,—- Respect —, Hope —, Love, all these words so simply and eloquently describe Tio Richard.
He was everyone’s favorite uncle– even to those who were not his nieces and nephews.
On behalf of the extended family and his union family I want to express my sincerest heartfelt condolences to Dolores, his life’s companion. To his children, my primo Freddy, —-Dorothy,— Becky,— Susana,– LUPITA, —Tia SALLY – to Juanita—-, Maria Elena—-, Rickie,— Camilla, — To Tia Rita,—- Tia Vickie and Tio Lenny. May you all be blessed with love and affection.
Tio Richard was born in Yuma, Arizona on November 12, 1929, during the harshest part of the great depression. It was during this period that the great migration of people took to following the crops from state to state following “La Pisca” of lettuce in the Imperial Valley, Grapes in this Valley, and Strawberries, Peaches ,Beans and Tomatoes in Northern Ca.
Tio Richard became a migrant farm worker, taking to the roads of Cal. and Arizona with his father Librado, my grandmother Juanita and his sisters, Rita, Vickie (Eduwiges) and their younger brother Tio Lenny and my dad Cesar. Much like his older brother, Cesar, Uncle Richard would be hardened by the social injustice he witnessed being committed against farm workers as he and his family moved from migrant camp to migrant camp… Memories that would serve him well years down the road.
In the early 1950”s Tio Richard and my dad and the rest of family moved to Crescent City to work in the Lumber Mills. Little did he know then, that working with lumber and wood, would play such an important part in his life.
In 1953 or so he moved to San Jose, where he would enroll in San Jose City College and get his certification as a carpenter. Even back then he was a union man. He would work as a union carpenter along with his younger brother Tio Lenny.
Sometime in the mid 1950’s he moved here to Delano and started a small construction company Bonita Construction with Manuel Chavez. Tio Richard and my dad always referred to Manuel as their brother even though he was a cousin. That was because my grandmother Juanita took Manuel in when his mother died and was raised as part of the family.
Tio Richard would continue his occupation as a master carpenter until sometime in the late 1960’s. THIS IS THE PERIOD I REFER TO AS B.C. AND I AM NOT REFERRING to BC as before Christ, But before CESAR.
My dad, Manuel and Dolores had already started the farm worker movement. You see my dad kept telling Tio Richard to come join him that he needed him if they were going to be successful in their struggle on behalf of farm workers. He kept after Tio Richard until he finally convinced him. He came a full time organizer, and eventually vice president of the union.
I don’t need to tell you of Tio Richard’s Love for the Union and for the farm workers struggle.
I want to tell you about Tio Richard the person, not the union organizer. I will leave that for those who write his legacy as a union organizer.
Last night you heard the wonderful stories and testimonies by his daughters and son of his kindness to everyone, even complete strangers. No one can doubt that Uncle Richard was a wonderful and compassionate person. Even President Obama memorialized Tio Richard’s special qualities and the enormous contributions he made to society.
My first impressionable memories of Uncle Richard are the family outings, the barbeques at Lake Wolloms, and the camping trips. I remember these so vividly because he and Tia Sally always brought the great food.
You need to remember that he had an income, unlike my dad and mom who were barely getting by raising 8 kids now that my dad was an unpaid union organizer.
I can recall little conversations where Tio Richard would offer our family financial help so that we could get by even if it meant only beans and potatoes and hamburger.
I recall those days when too Richard would hunt for pheasant, go fishing and especially “frogging”
For those of you who don’t know what frogging is that is when they go out at night catch frogs like fish. He would make the most delicious fried frog legs.
Even today some 40 plus years later very time I see frog legs on a menu — it brings back the strongest memories of Tio Richard smiling in the kitchen as he prepared them and how much he enjoyed them.
As I was growing up he referred to me as Polly and my brothers and sisters by name, but years later I noticed that he referred to his children , nieces and nephews as mijo and mija maybe because we got to be so many of us that he didn’t want to get our names wrong.
He was that type of caring and compassionate person never wanting to make us feel awkward.
When I was talking to Tia Rita and Tia Vicky after I learned of his passing I told them that the way I was going to remember Tio Richard was that, HE WAS A NICE GUY IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD. He was always up beat and engaging rarely a harsh or negative word. He reminded me of Will Rogers’s great saying, “I never met a man I didn’t like”. That so much reminds me of Tio Richard, he liked everyone.
We all have tragedy in Life and Tio Richard was no exception. He lost his son Richard junior in a tragic accident when we were about 15 or 16. Sometime around then I went to live with Tio Richard and Aunt Sally in their home where they treated me like their son!
Tio Richard struggled with this tragic loss for a long time. Maybe this loss is what made him pensive and contemplative. Never judgmental. He was reflective, astute, and above all wise.
It was his faith and his beliefs as a strong Catholic that guided him through those difficult times. . In the words of Casanova Giacomo, he said “I HAVE LIVED AS A PHILOSOPHER— AND —now— DIE AS A CHRISTIAN”. Tio Richard lived as a UNION ORGANIZER —AND DIED A DEVOTE CHRISTIAN. That would have been how Tio Richard would have seen his life.
Now, finally, he will be with his beloved “CHATO” as he affectionately called Richard Jr.
I remember Tio Richard and Uncle Manuel were starting to play golf about that time. It was Tio Richard who gave me my first set of golf clubs. It was Tio Richard who took me to play my first round of golf. He was a guiding light for me, and those many people who he counseled, always offering words of advice and encouragement. His advice was always subtle which served him well even when he was organizing. He was a humble man with an enormous talent for sizing up people and the moment.
I remember that my dad would always tell Tio Richard: Rokie, that was his childhood nickname, “When I die I don’t want a stinking fancy coffin. I want you to build me a simple pine coffin”.
As you all know, when my dad died, the first thing Tio Richard said was: I promised your Dad that I would build him a pine coffin. I was there when he started the construction and let me tell you: It may have been one of the most difficult things Tio Richard ever had to do. But he kept at it until it was finished. I remember Tio Richard telling me “ Cesar would be proud of this pine coffin”.
I don’t think there could have been a more fitting tribute to my Dad, than that simple pine box that Tio Richard built out of love and kindness for his brother. It was one of the most heart felt acts anyone could have ever undertaken. To the end of his life, Tio Richard loved golf. He was the one that inspired me to play a game that “us people” didn’t play back then. But his love for the game is what inspired me to pass it on to my children. I have two sons that played college golf as a result of Tio Richard’s inspiration. My son Sam is now a professional hoping to get to the PGA Tour. When I told Tio Richard this a few weeks ago, he was so excited; he looked like a kid who just got his first shinny toy.
He told me to tell Sammy to hurry up and get on tour so that he could tell everyone he knew: “Hey that’s my Nephew”.
Inspiration has a way of taking hold and trickling down. When I told my son that his uncle had passed, he said, that’s OK I am sure he still will get a chance to see me play. I will make him proud of me.
I am not sure how it started but Tio Richard became obsessed with the Chavez family tree. He would spend hours and hours doing research. He even went to Mexico, looking for “La Hacienda del Carmen” in Chihuahua where he knew the Chavez clan had its roots.
This became his” holy grail” Making the trips to determine where our family roots lie. Every time he discovered a new name or a new lead he burst with enthusiasm and had a little glee in his eye. His years of research and determination paid off. Last year he and my brother Paul put together a Chavez Family reunion that would have been the envy of any reunion.
The various Chavez family factions were wearing different colored shirts to distinguish each other. Nearly 300 came some from as far away as Europe. This was one of the highlights of his varied and accomplished career.
As we were talking he told me: Mijo isn’t this amazing to meet family that you had no idea existed. He had gone back as far as 1772 in tracking down the start of 8 generations starting with Ramon Chavez.
Tio Richard was a mentor and an example to so many people that crossed his path. He will be missed by all those who knew him and loved him. He lived a full life complete with laugher, joy and sorrow.
We will miss— his physical presence in our lives, but we should not grieve but rather celebrate his life as he lived it. As we think of him and visit with one another, let’s share his memories as his spirit continues to LIVE in all of us that knew him and LOVED him.