Francisco Licea

Francisco "Frank" LiceaJuly 24, 1920 - November 3, 2017San JoseFrancisco Licea, also known as "Frank, Pancho or El Cowboy", resident of San Jose since 1941, passed away peacefully on November 3rd at the age of 97. He was born in the beautiful town of San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico where he grew up on a small farm just outside the city with one sister and three brothers. At the very young age of 10, his father, Luis Licea, passed away suddenly and as the eldest male son, he left school to work the farm and tend the animals. He became the provider of the family. After a few years, he traveled to Mexico City in search of more opportunities. He eventually moved his whole family to the big city. He landed a job with Paramount Pictures where his job was to transport movies from Mexico City to California and bring new Hollywood films back to Mexico City. He even had the opportunity to meet stars like "Cantinflas." He enjoyed traveling and in 1941, made the decision to permanently become a California resident. During WWII, Francisco worked with many of the ranchers in the Bay Area helping to harvest the crops for packaging and shipping to the troops overseas. He fell in love with the beauty of the Bay Area and made it home. On a weekend trip to Los Angeles, he met his future wife, Evangelina Ojeda. They married in 1958 making San Jose their residence. He enjoyed taking the family hunting and camping. He loved watching animal programs and sports on the television and attending an occasional baseball game at the Oakland A's Stadium. He also had a passion for gardening and a green thumb to maintain a beautiful landscape at home. Francisco was the ultimate workaholic whether at work or at home. He took pride in his work always giving 120 percent. His work ethics were unmatched. He was constantly working on home improvement projects until sunset. With friends and family, he was quite the entertainer providing thousands of jokes and stories appropriate for the events. He was also a man of the Catholic faith.In 1986, Francisco lost his wife, Evangelina, to cancer at a young age of 54. He managed to live another 31 years after her death without marrying again. He is survived by two daughters, Maria and Anna, and four sons, Francisco Jr, Jesse, Jorge and Fernando, 3 daughter-in-law's Leah, Lucy, and Lourdes as well as 10 grandchildren, additionally two brothers, Filimon and Miguel. We will miss our father greatly for his leadership, his inspiration and his strength. Friends and family are invited to attend the viewing starting at 3:00 pm and the rosary starting at 6:00 pm on Sunday, November 12 at the Chapel of the Flowers 900 south 2nd St., San Jose, CA 95112. The final blessing and Liturgy will also be located at the same chapel on Monday, November 13, starting at 10:30 am and with burial to follow at the Calvary Catholic Cemetery located at 2650 Madden Ave, San Jose, CA 95116. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to American Cancer Society in honor of Evangelina and Francisco Licea. View the online memorial for Francisco "Frank" Licea