Reynaldo Ortegon

Born on November 17, 1928 in San Antonio, Texas, Reynaldo R. Ortegon was the patriarch of the Ortegon family, as was his father before him. Rey was the eldest of five children born to Jose A. Ortegon and Matilde R. Ortegon. He is survived by his four siblings:  Olga Calderon, of San Antonio, TX, Hector Ortegon, of Riverside, CA, Carolina Carroll, of Walnut, CA, and Elida Garcia, of  San Antonio, TX. Reynaldo is also survived by his three daughters: Diane and her husband Alberto Ramirez, Irma White, Sylvia and her husband Kevin Hook, and his son, Daniel Ortegon and his wife Deborah. To carry on his legacy, Rey leaves behind his eight grandchildren: Donald Branham, Steven Branham, Jose Ramirez, Joshua Moloney, Matthew Moloney, Ryan Hook, Dustin Ortegon, and Casandra Ortegon. They in turn blessed him with five great-grandchildren: Albert Branham, Jordan Branham, Jayden Moloney, Kylie Moloney and Delanie Moloney. Rey was preceded in death by: his beloved wife, Esther, his first grandchild- Albert Ramirez Jr., infant great-grandson Peyton Branham and son-in-law Eugene White.

Rey was raised and educated in San Antonio, TX. He was a strong willed and self-reliant young man. After leaving home at a young age because he did not like being told what to do, Rey returned home to seek his father’s consent to enlist in the Navy. He joined the Navy at age 17 and was recruited to the Sea Bees during WWII. He served his country for two years. After his discharge, he met and fell in love with Esther Cerda. In 1948, Reynaldo and Esther were married. They remained happily so, and celebrated 65 years of marriage on April 17, 2014.

Rey was proud of his career at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard where he served for over 30 years.  He retired from the Shipyard as Supervisor of Electronics, Weapons, and Communications. Rey worked on the USS Long Beach, the first nuclear battleship in the US fleet. He also proudly served on the Apollo space program. Rey’s dedication and commitment to service was and is an inspiration to many.

After retirement, Rey and his wife, Esther, became active with the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). While a member, he took on a leadership role and held the office of Quartermaster for District 23 where he remained active for years.

Sharing stories, old and new, around the kitchen table was a favorite pastime in the Ortegon household. Rey would share stories of growing up with his siblings in Texas. He would tell of tricks he and his cousin would play on each other, as well as on unsuspecting innocents. He was smart, a life long learner and a problem solver. Almost everything interested him and he would talk of ancestry, history, and politics, and regale family and friends alike with shipyard stories.  He also was a builder and could repair almost anything. Rey could speak on almost any subject…except sports. He never understood the purpose, much to the chagrin of family sports lovers.

Rey was a family man who held traditional beliefs. He believed in family, hard work, and loyalty. He had high expectations for us all, and we all tried our best to meet them.  He was a generous man. Often, Rey would help out someone in need, unbeknownst to anyone. He loved being surrounded by family and friends. Even as his health was failing, he would perk up when he had company. He loved a good party and he hosted many, because, in his words,   “It’s easy.”  Even to the final week of his life,

Rey was always in charge.

Reynaldo left us on February 22, 2017, with a heart full of love for his family and his friends. He touched and inspired the lives of many, and through his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, he will continue to touch many more lives. He lived his life to its fullest. He will be missed by all of us who knew and loved him.  

Rey’s family will receive guests for a time of visitation and viewing from 5-9 PM, Tuesday, March 7, 2017 at the Evans-Brown Mortuary in Sun City, California. Celebration of Life Service will be the following day at 12:00 PM. Interment will follow at Riverside National Cemetery at 2:00 PM. Following the interment, Rey’s family is hosting a reception at the VFW on Alessandro in Moreno Valley at 3:00 PM.

 Service Information