Mar 8, 1936 - Sep 11, 2022 Once a Marine, always a Marine. His service to our country was a source of constant prideas anyone who saw his car witnessed (license plate frame and decals) or received one of the many Marine Corps flags he would give when he met another Marine. Dad will be buried in his dress blues, which have hung in a garment bag in his closet since 1956. He has set such an example and path to follow.how to be a good man, husband and father, and is the epitome of a life built on a firm foundation. We will miss his abundant capacity for jokes, his garden, ability to fix anything, compassion and his knack for connecting with peoplealways with a huge smile and a chuckle. He had many interests among them, Metal detecting and finding jewelry that people lost. He never accepted payment as his reward was returning the lost item and the joy it restored. A number of human interest stories were written about his generous spirit. His Garden was his happy place. He grew oranges, lemons, limes, tomatoes, peppers cucumber and zucchini. He was our tomato consultant with countless tips, books, magazine articles and fertilizer recommendations. It was a passion we shared. For years he was Santa Claus for the annual Santa Breakfasts hosted at Racquetball world/Sequoia athletic clubs and various gatherings. This was something he continued to do until 2019. It brought him and hundreds of children so much joy. The countless t-shirts he would wear reflected every health club and event his daughter hosted over 40 years.It was a constant reminder of her resume. Fixing clockseverything from Grandfather to mantle to wall clock.s He had a little side business as 'the clock doc'complete with vintage medical bag which held his tools. His love of hiding plastic spiders in our homes to startle us. He and his wife were regulars everywhere they dined, especially Sunday champagne brunches. literally every Sunday. Their knowledge of the 'best brunch places to eat' spanned Orange, LA and Riverside Counties as well as Las Vegaswhere he went for the food, not the gambling. His love of driving and road trips. Some of our favorite memories include being awoken early in the morning as children and placed in the car to go on a road trip/vacation. Picking up changeeverywhere (a habit we now all share) pennies, nickels, dimes. He enjoyed fishing and hunting which he shared with his son. He also was endlessly capturing the countless moles and rabbits that invaded his lawn and garden. Corresponding with "Honk" at the OC Register regarding Orange County traffic dilemmas and ideas to fix them. If you went to him with a problem or something wasn't working, he usually always had a suggestion or a solution - it was the engineer side of him. He loved to help. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, his career path spanned decades in management and engineering with several large companies: Republic steel, General Electric and then Basic Four, which brought him to California in 1976. This was followed by positions at; Beckman Instruments, Rockwell/Boeing, and Motorvac. He was most proud of his role as a Project Manager for the Peacekeeper MX Missile project. On July 4, 2022, he suffered a hemorrhagic stroke. These past 2 months he fought hard amongst hospital stays, a skilled nursing facility and emergency room visits. We lost count of how many different rooms he was in. We thought because he rebounded from so many previous and serious illnesses, that he would again rally. This was simply too much and the stroked triggered cascading events. We are thankful we never had to have the "you won't be able to drive, walk, eat" conversation with him. Yet we know, he knew. On September 11, in the early morning, Dad passed in the hospital while sleeping. Strong in his faith, he regularly attended St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Orange. He read his devotions and bible daily and led his life guided by his faith. This past year brought many blessings including the birth of his first great-grand child, Olivia. We are thankful he was able to spend Halloween, Christmas and Easter with her. And yes, he dressed as her Santa. His wife is brokenhearted, yet her solid faith amongst the tears brings comfort to her, for she is very much at peace that he is no longer suffering. We are humbled by his decision to 'go', relieving us of the burden to make "that decision". We are deeply saddened yet in equal measure deeply grateful. We had him for 16 years of 'borrowed time' after his lung cancer diagnosis in 2006. He also had other health hurdles along the way, every one of which he overcameagainst the odds. His humor and general great disposition endeared him to all he met, including the staff at the skilled nursing facilitywho saw him as a person, not bed 406-B. We are going to miss him and yet we remain amazed at his legacy which he lived and now left to us: Faith, tradition, family, work ethic and sentimentality. He will always be with us, as he has instilled all these within us. He is survived by his brother Donald, Florence, his wife of 62 years, his daughter Diana (Craig), son Randy (companion Michelle), granddaughter Torri (Michael), and great granddaughter Olivia. He is now reunited with his parents Alfred R. Senior & Hermine and his siblings Geraldine, Jolene, Shirley and James. He will be missed by his brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, his many nieces, nephews, cousins, and all who knew him. He will be laid to rest at Riverside National Cemetery where there will be a private grave-side service for immediate family. He was a simple man. Heaven will soon have one helluva tomato garden. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to one of his favorite charities: St. Joseph Hospital Foundation Cancer Services, 1010 West LaVeta Ave., Suite 300, Orange, Ca. 92868. Habitat for Humanity. Samaritan's Purse.

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