In the early morning of May 10, 2015, Ralph Marquez passed away with his wife and sister by his side at The Californian in Santa Barbara.
Ralph was born on May 20, 1948, in Hanford, Calif., to Telesforo and Dolores Marquez. When Ralph was about 8 years old, the family relocated to Santa Barbara, where he was raised and lived for the rest of his life.
After graduating from high school, Ralph worked in different capacities but ultimately he was a truck driver for most of his career. He loved spending time with his family, and his hobbies included fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, watching football and barbecuing.
Ralph was a friendly, outgoing, spontaneous, happy-go-lucky man who had a contagious smile and was always in a good mood. He will be dearly missed.
Ralph is survived by his wife, Margarita; his children, Alberta Leake (Shawn), Telesforo Hernandez, Rachel Arriaga (Rudy), Alana Lardizabal (Jensen), Marlene Tutogi (Tarrant), Marina Gamboa (Ricardo) and Ralph Marquez Jr.; his 12 grandchildren and one great-grandchild; his sister, Mary Rodriguez (Francisco); and numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by his father, Telesforo Marquez, his mother, Dolores Marquez, and his eldest daughter, Yvette Marquez.
A very special thank you and heartfelt gratitude to the staff at The Californian and Visiting Nurse & Hospice Care of Santa Barbara.
Rosary will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 13 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 227 N. Nopal St. in Santa Barbara. Mass will take place at Our Lady of Guadalupe at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 14 with the burial to follow at Santa Barbara Cemetery, 901 Channel Drive in Santa Barbara.