Samuel Guerrero Jr.

Samuel Guerrero Jr. died on Monday morning, July 17, 2023. He was 61 years old.

"Sam" or "Sammy" as he was known by family and friends, was born in Salinas, California and lived in Salinas for the majority of his life. Sam graduated from Salinas High School. In the last 3 years, he lived in Santa Cruz, California. Sam was an automobile mechanic for over 40 years from his late teens until his passing, primarily working for Ford dealerships in Salinas, the Monterey Bay area, and Watsonville. However, Sam was an expert on most any automobile make or model.

In his adolescent years Sam was a very caring older brother to younger siblings Sara, Greg, and Gen, yet he also enjoyed chasing them around the block until he caught each one of them in a game of "chase", overtaking them with speed and agility. All five of the Guerrero siblings, Suzanne, Sam, Sara, Greg, and Gen grew up playing Monopoly or other board games with each other, having water balloon fights, riding bikes, arguing from time to time (as only siblings will do), walking across town on Saturdays to visit their grandfather "Lito", or, when school was out, going swimming at the Hartnell College pool in the summertime with lots of other kids from all over West Salinas and South Salinas. It was a really fun time. During holidays or on the weekends, the Guerrero family would all pile into the family car to visit "Grandma Anaya" and they were always bribed with a Rocky Road candy bar on the drive over so they would "behave" at Grandma's. There were also visits to Great-Grandfather and Great-Grandmother Aviña for large family get-togethers at the old Alexander Street house.

Throughout his career and at the time of his passing, Sam was a top-flight mechanic known for his skill and expertise in automotive technology at many dealerships. You could always sense Sam's confidence as he honed in on the car problem at hand, and he always knew by pure instinct and experience, the absolute correct thing to do to fix a car. Sam was a huge professional football fan. He always liked a good football game on TV. Sam was very bright and one of his interests was astronomy including the works of Carl Sagan. He enjoyed discussing scientific topics. Sam was an avid classic rock enthusiast having listened to his favorite rock bands since the late 1970s and early 1980s with three of his favorite bands being Van Halen, The Cars, and Eddie Money, among others. He never stopped loving classic rock music and he enjoyed reminiscing about the good old days of music from the 1970s, however, he also enjoyed the music of the 1980s, 1990s, and the 2000s. He introduced his younger brother and sisters to rock on his original 1970s Technics stereo system and his siblings in turn became fans of rock. To his younger brother and sisters, Sam was the cool older brother with the good looks, the cool car, the cool stereo system, and the cool friends, but Sam was always kind to his siblings and he never took any guff. Sam, of course, also enjoyed the Latin Rock genre of music such as Santana, Malo, Tierra, and El Chicano, and he really enjoyed listening to his music while grilling or while sitting around with family and friends at barbecues.

Sam liked a good cup of coffee or two every single morning. He enjoyed his chips and salsa. In his lifetime, Sam took a trip to Cancun, Mexico. He had a blast in Cancun. He always liked being in the sun and in the beautiful, Mediterranean weather. Sam loved his children Michelle and Matthew very much as well as his numerous grandchildren and great-grandchild – and they loved him back immensely and continue to love him. Sam was proud of Michelle and Matthew for being his daughter and son and of their accomplishments. Sam was always excited about the sports his kids and grandkids participated in, and attended all their games he could. He also loved following the local sports teams. He astutely observed the up-and-coming local high school football stars. He analyzed their potential with adeptness, having played in high school football himself for the Salinas High School Cowboys football team.

Sam is survived by his father Samuel Guerrero Sr. of Salinas and mother Suzanne Guerrero of Santa Cruz. He is also survived by daughter Michelle (Guerrero) Vega, Son-In-Law Adalberto "Beto" Vega, grandsons Nathan Vega and Nicholas Vega, granddaughter Destiny Vega and great-grandson Joseph Bejar Vega; also survived by son Matthew Guerrero, granddaughter Mattie Marie Guerrero, by his future daughter-in-law Yesenia Peña (Matthew Guerrero) and her daughter Zariah Vidalez; also survived by daughter Belen Guerrero, all of Salinas, Seaside, and Watsonville. Sam is also survived by sister Sara Guerrero of Salinas, niece Tara Corrales of Rohnert Park, niece Madeline deCampos of Salinas, brother Greg Guerrero of Salinas, sister Genevieve "Gen" Guerrero of Utah, Aunt Margie Anaya, Aunt Julie Ferreira, Aunt Jessie Merino, Uncle Richard Anaya, and many cousins of the Anaya, Ferreira, Merino, Alvarez, Coronado, Souza, and Ceja families, as well as the entire Aviña branch of his family on his mother Suzanne's side, among many other extended family members. Sam is survived by Kelly Guerrero and her son Andrew, as well as former wife Toni Lucio, the mother of Michelle and Matthew.

Sam was predeceased by his grandson Christian Guerrero, son of Matthew Guerrero; and by Suzanne Guerrero, Sam's oldest sister.

From Sam's Aunts Margie and Julie, "He was really sweet. He always had a beautiful, big smile…always smiling." From his cousin Christina Alvarez, "Sam was a gentle, kind man loved by all who knew him." Sam will be greatly missed by friend Geno Garibay and the Garibay Family, Sam's friend Ali, Leticia Valencia and family, Danny Perez, the Moreno Family, his co-workers, and many others. Sam was a very cheerful man and he had a very infectious, upbeat presence which made him a great pleasure to be around. People liked him. When Sam walked into the room, it just made you happy to be around him.

Sammy, we will all miss you so much. Your parents will miss you. Your friends will miss you. We will miss your handsome face, tall form, and your lively way. You are a part of us. We are a part of you. May God lift you into heaven with the peace we all long for and the joy you deserve. Be at peace, my brother.

Samuel Guerrero Jr. is buried at the Garden of Memories, 850 Abbott Street, Salinas, CA 93901.

Published in The Pajaronian · August 3, 2023