Ralph J. Cesena

Ralph Joseph Cesena Sr., 85, was born on June 26, 1930, in Long Beach, California and passed away at home in Hawaiian Gardens on April 8, 2016. After the death of his mother Gloria Aguilar, Ralph and his younger sister Armida were raised by their father Jose "Joseph" Cesena and his second wife Francis along with their younger brother Anthony . Ralph married his first wife Lucille "Chelo" Cesena in 1950 and together they raised Ralph Jr., Gregory and Gary. He and his wife Carmen married in 1979 and were devoted parents to Yesenia and Christopher. Ralph resided in Hawaiian Gardens for most of his life and remained ever dedicated to his city. Intelligent and hard-working, he ran the City's rubbish company, Cesena Disposal, for over 25 years and served on both the Planning Commission and City Council before being elected mayor in 1998. Though a dedicated businessman and public servant, Ralph's true devotion was to his faith and to his family. He attended Cottonwood Church in Los Alamitos and in addition to being a father and husband, was also a loving and proud grandfather to 10 and great-grandfather to 6. He was preceded in death by his wife Carmen, his son Ralph Jr., and his grandson Ralphie. He is survived by his sons, Greg, Gary and Christopher, his daughter Yesenia, daughters-in-law Lucy, Lilia, Nina and Nicole, his sister Armida and brother Anthony, brother-in-law Jack and sister-in-law Irene, grandchildren Rebekah, Christina, John, Gregory, Jessica, Matthew, Aunica, Julian and Ethan, and great-grandchildren Maranda, Lucas, Ezekiel, James, Wyatt and Maverick. Memorial Services will be held Saturday, April 23, 2016 at 9:00am in the Church of Our Fathers at Forest Lawn Cypress, 4471 Lincoln Avenue, Cypress, CA 90630.