Al Cazares Obituary

Al "Humberto" Cazares
1936 - 2013
Resident of Fremont
Let me tell you a brief story, of one of the finest men to walk this earth! Al Cazares was born and named Humberto Eloiso Cazares on June 19, 1936. He was the third youngest of eight children and when he was three months old, his family moved to West Oakland; where he grew up. Al attended Tompkins, Old St. Marys and finally graduating from St. Elizabeth High School in 1955. In his senior year of High School he made the All-Cal football team and received a trophy for All Catholic.
He got a job in the Del Monte Corporation Printing Department, before the US Army called him for a 2 ½ year stint in Germany. His time was extended during the Berlin Crisis. After he came home, he went back to Del Monte, started college and then met the love of his life, his wife Nancy. Needless to say, Al was also the love of Nancy's life.
They have spent nearly 49 years loving each other, loving their children and loving other people's children, by giving them a home. In the early 1980's, they decided to take in developmentally disabled girls. Throughout the past 30 years, he has devoted his time, his money, his efforts, and his love to helping these girls become women and live as independent as they could; just as he did for his own children. He was a father figure to so many that they have lost count, but one stands out.
Geonine came to them on his birthday and for the last 27 years, she has learned from him, respected him and loved him truly as a daughter. They have shared many Sundays watching football and, because of him, she has wanted to learn to cook. She will miss him, always, because she loved him from the bottom of her heart.
In his last years, his youngest daughter, Mia, and her husband Dennis have helped him during his illness. Dennis taking him to dialysis and helping him in & out of bed when he was too weak. Mia was more than a daughter- feeding, bathing, and nursing him, like the deeply loving person she is and has always been.
Because of him, so many nieces, nephews, and friends (and their children) will have memoires that are very special to them. He had the ability, if you were interested, to give the time to talk to you; always, leaving you with a profound saying. His grandchildren all have their own experiences and special places with him. He tried to participate in each of their lives in a loving and positive way. He taught them a saying translated from Spanish, that his mother taught & gave him, "Drop by drop you fill the bucket of life with sweat, tears, and laughter."
So now the time has come to be with the God he loved. His last words of profound knowledge were, "I did my best and God will do the rest."
I will end this tribute to him by saying, that this most wise and beautiful man, this classy, fun, and unusual man, has left me, his wife, with the knowledge that there is no romantic movie, no deep love story, no poem or song with words of love that I haven't experienced with him. We had a deep, passionate love for each other that lasted every day from the time we met, until with me, he took his last breath. I thank God for him and I thank him for loving me!
Family and friends may visit after 11:00AM and are invited to the Funeral Liturgy at 11:30AM both on Saturday, May 4, at Holy Angels Funeral & Cremation Center, 1051 Harder Rd., Hayward. Committal to follow at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family request that donations be made to your favorite charity.
Holy Angels Funeral & Cremation Center FD1456
510-537-6600