John R. Bautista died Aug. 25, 2003, at his home in Morgan Hill.
He was 70 years old.
John R. Bautista died Aug. 25, 2003, at his home in Morgan Hill. He was 70 years old.
John was born Feb. 25, 1933, in Hollywood.
He loved and cherished his son, John III, Denise, Alanna, Kaileigh and John IV. He believed he was truly blessed with a very special son who gave him three beloved grandchildren and who brought a lovely lady into the family.
“Cookie” and Evelyn were married for 48 years. They first met in study hall at Gilroy High School during a rare time when he was not sitting in the principal’s office. He is the first of the Bautistas to win wrestling honors for Gilroy High School. The trophy he won for the school was on display in the school’s trophy case until the school moved to its current site.
He spent the Korean War years in the Navy. His stop-overs in Hong Kong and Japan were entertaining stories in later years. He was a lifetime member of VFW. He attended San Francisco City College and graduated from Laney College.
Alpha Refrigeration Co. in Morgan Hill was John Bautista for 20 years. A/C was a lifelong occupation. He was renowned as an authority on walk-in boxes and ice machines. He taught refrigeration classes at the local union for a number of years and was active in RSES.
In the Gilroy Elks for 26 years, he was a trustee for four years and chaired the Scholarship Committee for a few years. At one time, he was president of the Morgan Hill Kiwanis. He was also a member of the Morgan Hill Rotary and was part of the Rotarians that cooked at the first Mushroom Mardi Gras. He truly enjoyed the years that he was part of Morgan Hill Fish and Game. Their “Bana Calda” nights were memorable.
Currently, besides the Elks, he is part of SIRS and is on the Morgan Hill Council on Aging, as well as representing seniors on the Parks and Recreation Committee. Also, very dear to him is the once-a-month dinner group made up of Gilroy High School alums from the ’40s and ’50s.
John loved waterskiing and snow skiing. Bear Valley was his second home. National to Grizzly, nonstop, was his favorite run. Winning Nastar golds, was a passion. The ski trip to Banff, Canada, where John III “creamed” the pacesetter and JB left the people who challenged them in the dust was a “Molstar” gold he delighted in.
Cooking was a passionate avocation for John. He thoroughly enjoyed the years he spent “opening” for Martin Yan as a local demonstration chef at the Gilroy Garlic Festival’s “Cook-off Stage.” Cooking a flaming calamari on KCRA Sacramento was a true highlight for the amateur chef. Being “Head Barbecue Chef” at the end-of-the-season passholders/employees barbecue at Bear Valley Ski Area was his event for 10-plus years. Also, he was flattered that his gourmet dinners were a popular auction item at the Bear Valley Music Festival.
He joined the Navy so he could travel. That he did. Navy took him to Guam, the Phillippines, Hong Kong and Japan. After Navy, he and Evelyn took trips to various parts of the United States, Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Canada, Mexico, and an eight-week Eurail trip around Europe (on their own). They also spent five weeks on an Amtrak trip around the United States. He loved it all.
John built a slat-bench table at a community workshop when he and Evelyn lived in San Francisco. He transported the 5-foot table home to the apartment on the muni bus. Other furniture pieces were built over the following years, but the most beloved pieces were the dollhouses for Alanna and Kaileigh. A sailboat was on schedule for John IV (Cookie).
Other passions for John were his Corvette, golf, the 49ers and telling jokes. The donut shop gang and the crew at Ace Hardware will miss his wicked sense of humor. JB truly felt that his “retirement job” at Ace was the perfect job.
For the past three years, since he became a renal failure patient, John has been a guest lecturer Evergreen College’s nursing program. He was on peritoneal dialysis and was always willing to share his knowledge and experiences regarding the procedure. It was not unusual to be in the hospital and have a nurse recognize him. “Aren’t you the guy who showed us his catheter in class?” That was always good for a laugh.
A Good Samaritan, it was not unusual for John to step in when he could see help was needed. He saved a few lives and aided in other situations. He never discussed these happenings, you had to be there to witness them. He made a difference in people’s lives.
John, Denise, Alanna, Kaileigh and John IV (Cookie) will dearly miss their “Papa” who loved being with them, always had time for them, was their biggest fan in all their endeavors, taught them to love cooking, fishing and, especially, how to laugh.
John is survived by his wife, Evelyn; son, John III; daughter-in-law, Denise; grandchildren Alanna, Kaileigh and John IV (Cookie) of Morgan Hill. In Gilroy, his family is stepmother Louise Bautista; sisters Juanita (Frank) Lujan, Tina (Chet) Kirby; brothers Phil (Trish), and David (Selve). In Nevada, sister Irene (Frank) Smith. Nieces are Nicole Arechiga, Carla Mar, and Denny Moreno. Nephews: Cameron, Jason, Brandon, David and Charles Bautista. Also, Christopher Kirby, Eric Smith, Richard Ayala and Jeremy Colvin.
Family would appreciate it if in lieu of flowers, donations in his name be given to the National Diabetes Foundation or the American Heart Association.
Family and friends are invited to attend his memorial service which will be held at the Gilroy Elks lodge on Sunday at 1 p.m. under direction Habing Family Funeral Home.
