Jose Castillo

Jose Castillo, 85, born on December 28, 1934, in Durango, Mexico, passed away September 17, 2020. He resided in La Palma, CA at the time of his passing.

After a courageous 8-year battle with Alzheimer's, Jose Castillo (A.K.A "Moe"), went to be with the Lord on September 17, 2020. During the Great Depression, his family moved from Southern California to Durango, Mexico, where Jose was born on December 28, 1934. In 1942, he returned with his widowed mother & younger sister back to the United States where they settled in Long Beach and she purchased a home on California Avenue.

Jose served in the United States Army where he was stationed at Fort Huachuca, AZ and then Fort Lewis in WA where he discharged in 1957. The following year in July of 1958 he married his childhood sweetheart Alicia and they settled in Long Beach. Both attended Long Beach Poly High School and were proud alumni that would regularly attend the football & baseball games with friends and family. Before joining the Long Beach Police Department in 1964, he worked as a carpenter like his father and his talented wood working skills became a hobby until he couldn't do it any longer.

He retired after 25 years on the Long Beach Police Department in 1989 and always cited that he met some of his best friends in life while there. During his time with the LBPD, one of his favorite assignments was to patrol his alma mater, Poly High School, where he was recognized for his hard work & dedication to the student body. During his free time and after retirement, he traveled regularly with friends and family down to Baja to deep sea fish (one of his favorite sports) and to relax. In between work and hobbies, he always found time to coach his daughters in sports and was a beloved softball coach for his daughter's teams.

He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Alicia (Herrera) Castillo, their two daughters; Mona Castillo Snyder (James) and Annette Rogers, their four grandchildren; Adrian Castillo (wife Erica), Tiffany Rogers, Alexis (Snyder) Dowling (husband Stephen), and Ashley (Snyder) Lueders (husband Taylor), and two great grandchildren; Katin Dowling and Phoenix Dowling. Jose is also survived by three brothers; Pete Castillo, Nacho Castillo, and Lupe Castillo, along with many cousins, nieces and nephews.

He always had a smile, never held a grudge and will be missed by everyone who knew him.