Ricardo Arenas Resident of Fremont April 3, 1932 - Jan 2, 2012 Ricardo Arenas, longtime resident of Fremont, passed away on January 2, 2012 at the age of 79. Son of Florencio and Isabella Arenas and a native of Sparks, Nevada, he was the fifth child in a family of seven children. Born in 1932, he attended Mineral County High School in Hawthorne, Nevada where he met the love of his life, Dolores Thornburg. He served in the Navy during the Korean War aboard the USS Boxer and used his GI Bill to earn an undergraduate degree from San Francisco State and a Master's degree from Stanford University. He and Dolores settled in Fremont in 1959 to raise their family of six children. Ricardo was a dedicated Spanish and Portuguese teacher, spending much of his career at Washington High School, then John F. Kennedy High School and finishing his career teaching courses at the University of Santa Clara. Ricardo genuinely cared about his students and their futures, spending countless hours advising and assisting them in college requirements and applications. He organized educational student programs to Mexico and from Japan, Germany, Mexico and Brazil. He championed the introduction of Advanced Placement (AP) level classes to his students and brought the first of such programs to Kennedy High. To support his family, Ricardo also worked summers and holidays at Long's Drugs where he used his relationships with store managers to find many of his students and friends part time jobs, including all six of his children. In addition to teaching, Ricardo was an avid reader, enjoyed refinishing furniture, upholstery and traveling. Ricardo was also an enthusiastic sports fan and was especially devoted to Stanford Cardinal Football. A loyal season-ticket holder for more than 28 years, nothing made him happier than spending the day tailgating in Stanford's eucalyptus groves and attending a game with his family and friends. Ricardo is survived by his wife of 59 years, Dolores, and daughters: Maree Elana, Charisse, MichaelAnn (Matthew), Paula (James) and his sons: Ricardo, Jr. (Sylvia) and Paul (Noreen) and sisters: Margaret, Madeline and Julia. He was a kind and loving grandfather to his 9 grand children. A memorial service to celebrate his life will be held at 2:00 PM, Saturday, January 7th, at Centerville Community Center, 3355 Country Drive, Fremont, CA 94538. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his name to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (www.pancan.org) or American Diabetes Association (www.diabetes.org). Ricardo had a passion for learning and education and shared that passion with everyone he knew. He was a devoted teacher, family man, leader and mentor and will be missed by all.

Published in Inside Bay Area on January 5, 2012