John is the founder of El Cerrito Coins and thanks to him his family has a business to carry on in his name. He was a great provider in life and even after he has left, due to his work ethic he is still providing. When he was under the age of 12, he started working long hours during summer on his family's almond ranch and during school year he helped his Dad with maintenance and janitorial at his job. He learned young how to value money and earn it the hard way. At 17 John was drafted into the Vietnam war where he served for 2 years. He spent most of his time deployed in Vietnam where he traveled mostly on foot and on helicopters.  Shortly before he was drafted he had met Darlene and the two of them wrote letters until his return home. It was during this time a budding romance begamAfter he came back home from Vietnam he took classes at Contra Costa College and started his own janitorial business as sole owner and operator. In the beginning he had few clients and but over time dur to his persistence to succeed and attention to details, he quickly gained a solid reputation as a reliable, quick and effective cleaner and gained residential and commerical clients throughout the Bay Area. His brothers Mark and Phil joined his in partnership when they got old and at the height of their business they had over 25 employees and multiple large commerical towers they would service. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just one the coolest guys I have ever met. His sense of humor was witty and silly at the same time. When I was with him we laughed a lot and the way he could retell a story, he had such great comedic timing and facial expressions. I miss his commentaries; it is probably what I miss the most, wondering what his take would be on something or how he would react to a story I told him.  Most people have at least one person in their life that they just have to tell a story to before they feel its fully real and my Dad was one of those people for me.  My heart still aches for his absence and I suppose you know you have lived a good life and were loved if that is true.