Armando Aguilar

Armando (Mando) Aguilar was born on September 01, 1930, in Sweetwater, TX, and passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on September 09, 2024, in Bakersfield, CA. He is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 73 years, Annie, daughters, Diane Medina, Eleanor Calvillo, Sylvia Lopez, Evelyn Yates (Robert,) and son Michael (Carol,) twenty-two grandchildren, twenty-nine great-grandchildren, sisters, Alice Tinoco, Teresa Guasch (Rafael,) Patricia Duron (Richard,) Lucy Ortiz (Dan,) and brother Arnold. He leaves behind several nieces and nephews whom he loved dearly. He was pre-deceased by his parents, Patricio R. Aguilar, Maria Torres, two sisters, Enedina Aguilar, Jessie Luera, son Patrick, and two great-grandsons, Elisha and Ari’El Frazier.

As fate would have it Mando met Annie, the love of his life, in 1949, at a dance they were both attending at Rainbow Gardens. He first laid eyes on her as she danced and thought she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He asked her to dance, and as the saying goes, the rest is history. They married three years later in a beautiful ceremony at St. John’s Church in Wasco. They continued to go to dances on Saturday nights, and as each of their children got older, they were taken along with them. It was during these times they each acquired a love of music and dance.

Shortly after Mando and Annie were married, he was deployed to fight in the Korean War. He served proudly and courageously and believed it was his duty to serve and protect his country. In 1953, he received an honorable discharge from the US Army. Upon his return from active duty, he held various jobs, some of which were the Ice House and the Rancho Motel. He landed a job in construction and made a career out of it. His contribution to the modernization of our city is seen throughout Bakersfield. One that he was particularly proud of was the extension of Memorial Hospital. The corridors connecting the old building to the new one have Mando's handywork in them. He was a proud member of the Labor Union Local 220. He retired in 1988 after twenty-five years in construction.

In the years following his retirement, he became an avid gardener, he took pride in his flowers, particularly his roses. He loved to help his children and enjoyed the moments as his family grew. He welcomed each of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren with love and open arms. During this time, after attending daily mass, Mando and Annie enjoyed each other's company on peaceful rides. They also went on a cruise, vacationed in Arizona, and camped in their trailer at Pismo. They enjoyed their time together and were, for the most part, inseparable. Mando loved different genres of music. He enjoyed listening and dancing to Big Band, jazz, and spanish music. Throughout the years, he listened to the music of the time. He said by listening to the newer music, he could better understand the younger generation. He was happy when he heard his children play their albums in their rooms. Mando enjoyed family get-togethers to celebrate birthdays, holidays and to watch boxing matches and sports on TV. He would incorporate teaching moments whenever he could. One of the many ways he did this was, as he worked on his car, he would have one of his children hand him his tools, as a way to teach them the names of each one and what they were for.

He was a man of faith. He lived his life with integrity and relied on God’s wisdom to guide his life. His life was about making the correct choices, which in turn affected his family’s lives for the better, and for that, they are so very grateful. He was a great storyteller, and his family enjoyed hearing his stories about his life. Some of his stories were hilarious, and some were insightful. He was a caring, kind-hearted, loving family man who loved everyone in his family dearly. His grandmother, Ysidora, held a special place in his heart. He was proud of everyone's accomplishments, whether that was graduating from preschool, college, or landing a job. He was a humble man and stated how blessed he was with the family he was given, but his family believes they are the ones blessed to have had such a great man in their lives. Dad, we thank God we had you as our father, Mom is grateful God sent you to be her husband. We thank you for sharing your wisdom with us, for the many wonderful moments, and for the way you lived your life. We give thanks to God for the beautiful and peaceful death in which you left us. We miss you tremendously, but we rejoice in your going home to be with Our Almighty Father in Heaven, where there is no more pain or suffering. We cherish the life we had with you, the memories made, and the love you gave. Until we meet again. Love you.