Ernest Marquez

On Tuesday October 8, 2019 Ernest Marquez, our loving father and grandfather of 6 children, 13 grandchildren, 4 extended grandchildren, and 20 great-grandchildren, was reunited with his wife Mille as he entered into the Gates of Heaven. He was 84 years old and was also known as Chapito, Uncle Neto or Gramps to many.

Ernie was born in El Centro, California on April 6, 1935. He attended Roosevelt High School in Los Angeles, California up to the 12th grade. He went on to learn a trade as a house painter receiving a certificate as a journeyman apprentice. On March 13, 1954 he married Emilia “Millie” Arellanes and was married for 59 years.

Some of his favorite hobbies he enjoyed doing was gardening, reading the daily newspaper, and cooking homemade salsa. He loved feeding the birds every morning and also driving to the market for fresh fruit and vegetables.

Ernie was a football fanatic and always looked forward to calling his sons and grandsons to talk about the current football games and strategies. He was definitely a USC fan!

Some of his favorite TV shows were Bonanza, The Rifleman, Gunsmoke, Death Valley Days, and The Andy Griffith Show. He never got tired of watching re-run after re-run of these shows.

Ernie loved joking around and laughing. He always made funny faces when his picture was taken. Usually it was arched eyebrows with big open eyes. Some of the other things he was known for was giving nicknames to everyone. One of his favorite phrases to his two great-grandchildren, Elijah and Moses, was “Atta Boy Cowboy!”

He was always a faithful man and loved the Lord with all his heart. You could often find him reading his Bible at bedtime and he loved singing the hymn, White as Snow, at bible studies.

Ernie was truly loved. He will always be in our hearts and will be greatly missed.