Ralph Joseph Munguia Sr.

Ralph J. (R.J.) Munguia Sr. was born on August 6, 1948, in Fullerton, California, to the late Ralph and Angela Munguia. He attended Bishop Mora Salesian High School in Boyle Heights from 1963-1966. With the onset of the Vietnam War, Ralph enlisted in the Air Force but was discharged when he was struck by illness and was no longer able to serve.

In 1970, Ralph started working at his Uncle John Rigoli’s business, Standard Service, where he started as a Co2 delivery man. During his years at Standard Service, he would learn the trade that would change his life; he became a service technician for soda dispensers. He would leave Standard Service in 1979 to start his own company - R.J.’s Soda Service. The company began with one man and one truck. Ralph relied on contract work from Coca-Cola and his reputation as a “go-getter” spread. As a result, his business grew and within six months he brought his brother, Michael Munguia on board. His brother, Anthony Munguia, joined them in a year’s time. With the addition of life-long friend, Gilbert Ortega, in 1983, the brain trust of the company was complete. In the intervening years, three of his sons would join him – Christopher, Alex, and Ralph, Jr. – and become an integral part of the business.

In 1977, Ralph became involved in a church-based community organization called United Neighborhoods Organization (UNO). This was an organization that fought for change in underserved communities. More importantly, UNO trained their members to stand up for themselves against bureaucracy. His passion for UNO grew to the point where Ralph took a leave of absence from his company to become a community organizer with the organization.

Ralph returned full-time to R.J.’s Soda in 1983. He became well known to his employees as a kind-hearted and generous employer who treated them more like family than workers. He was able to rely on his employees to bring in other equally hard workers. R.J.’s Soda grew to become one of Coca-Cola’s largest Hispanic-owned service providers in the country.

Ralph is survived by his wife, Rebecca (who he affectionately called Shorty), six children - Christopher Munguia Sr., Steven Munguia, Alexander Munguia, Ralph J. Munguia Jr., Robert Munguia and Elizabeth Munguia, and two stepchildren, Megan Joanis and Andrew Slane. They were always the center of his life. He enriched their childhoods with fun and exciting experiences, celebrating all their milestones, and supporting every aspect of their lives into adulthood. He passed down his love of music to all eight children and a passion for golf to the older four boys. Ralph delighted in being a grandfather to Zoe Lemos-Munguia, Christopher Munguia Jr., Sofia Munguia, Jacob Munguia, Joaquin Munguia, Ella Munguia, Briella Munguia, Benjamin Joanis, Elijah Joanis, and was excited for the upcoming birth of grandchild number 10.

It's difficult to sum up in a few paragraphs the impact R.J. had, not only on his family, but on a wide community of friends and colleagues. He lived his life to the fullest. And it is typical of the man known as Ralph, R.J., Dad, Grandpa, Husband, Brother, Friend to leave us on his own terms. On December 3, 2022, he would take his last breath while vacationing in an idyllic location with Michael, Steve, Alex and a host of friends who were part of the extended family he loved so dearly and who loved him right back.

R.J.’s family will see to it that the work ethic he instilled and the joy for life he exemplified will live on. And his favorite saying, “No bucks, no Buck Rogers” will always bring to mind the hardest working individual we ever knew.