EL MONTE - Friends and family of active community volunteer and Pearl Harbor survivor Jesus "Joe" Soto bid him farewell last week.
Soto, of Alhambra, died July 12. He was 93.
"He was a warm, very gentle man, who had a passion and patriotism for this country," said Marian Last, community and senior services manager for the El Monte Senior Center. "He was a phenomenal gentleman. We'll never see that kind of breed again."
Soto was born June 7, 1918 in El Paso, Texas and moved to Los Angeles at age 4. He attended Stevenson Junior High School and during the Depression he joined the Los Prietos Civilian Conservation Corps in the hills of Santa Barbara County.
Soto joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1940 and was assigned to the USS New Orleans. He survived the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 then went on to fight in the Pacific in World War II, according to family members.
He fought in the battles of Coral Sea, Midway, and Guadalcanal. He was injured in the Battle of Tassaforanga when the New Orleans was torpedoed.
He earned a Purple Heart and was honorably discharged in 1946.
His military service inspired one of his grandsons to join the service as well.
"My son graduated from the Air Force Academy and one of his main motivations was my dad," Soto's daughter Joanne Harris said.
Soto married Tillie Macias in April 1943.
While Soto lived in Alhambra, he took a liking to the El Monte senior
center and spent a lot of time volunteering in that community, Harris said.
"He was always pretty happy and charming," said Harris, 58, of La Canada Flintridge. "He was always working."
Besides helping at the El Monte senior center, Soto volunteered with the Hispano Americano Club in El Monte. He served as the club's president, was the club's tour director for 12 years, and helped with its annual flu shot clinic and blood pressure clinics.
In 1988 Joe was named "Father of the Year" and in 2002 he was named "Senior of the Year" in El Monte, according to his family.
And he was a proud member of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association.
Soto is survived by Joanne Harris, her brother Edward Soto and three grandchildren, ages 23, 24 and 27.
El Monte Councilwoman Pat Wallach said she would remember Soto's smile most.
"Every time you saw him, he'd smile and give you a big hug and make you feel good," Wallach said. "He was one of those guys you could depend on. We're going to miss him."
Services for Soto were held July 15.
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