Guadalupe resident Juan Luis Olvera-Preciado and his wife would have celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in November.
Instead, his widow and their children, grandchildren and friends gathered Friday at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church for a funeral Mass for the bystander killed during a Guadalupe police shooting on the night of Aug. 21.
“They’ve taken my pillar. I’m not sure how I’ll survive this. I have a special-needs child,” his widow, Silvia, said in Spanish as attorney Arnoldo Casillas of Long Beach translated her comments. “He was the happiness in my home.”
On Friday, the family spoke about the 59-year-old man who had lived in Guadalupe since 2001.
As they talked, the family wore T-shirts with Juan Olvera Preciado’s picture and name.
The shooting by Officer Miguel Jaimes occurred as members of the Guadalupe Police Department were trying to apprehend another man with an arrest warrant.
Juan Olvera-Preciado, an uninvolved bystander, was killed while sitting in a vehicle near the family home in the 100 block of Obispo Street.
He worked in agriculture, most recently on a job related to irrigation for Freitas Brothers Farms around the Santa Maria Valley and rural Nipomo, his family said.
“My dad was a hardworking man, dedicated for his family. He lived for his family, and he was the heart of everybody,” son Juan Olvera Jr. said. “He loved us so much.”
He recalled how their dad enjoyed dancing and making his family laugh.
“He loved his hair so much. We were joking around about his hair. I was lucky enough to cut his hair, and that was a great memory for me because his hair was like a thing for him,” Juan Olvera Jr. said.
In addition to four children, the shooting victim has six grandchildren, one of whom he didn’t get to meet since he was born just days ago. A seventh grandchild is due to be born in December.
“I want to share that my dad — he was a great man,” son Luis Olvera said, adding that his father taught him how to work, how to be a great man and how to be responsible for his own family. “I am the person that I am right now (because of my dad).”
Youngest child and only daughter Zuleima Olvera said her dad would drop everything if her car broke down or she needed food at work.
“He always made sure to hold the family together and made sure we were always happy, joking around,” she said.
Amid the tragedy, the family expressed appreciation to the community, including strangers, for supporting them with meals, beverages, donations and other assistance since the shooting.
“It means a lot to us,” Juan Olvera Jr. said.
“We wouldn’t be able to get through this pain without you guys,” his daughter added. “You guys help us keep strong. Thank you so much.”
The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation by the California Department of Justice because of a new law calling for the state review of an officer-involved shooting of an unarmed citizen.
“As Chief (Michael) Cash put it, this is an incredible tragedy, an incredible tragedy for everybody,” Casillas said.
The GoFundMe page for the family can be found by clicking here.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.