Jesus (Jesse) Chavez Sanchez, age 65, passed away at home on February 14th, 2019 surrounded by his loving family. Jesse waged a courageous battle with cancer, which ultimately returned and took his treasured life.
He was born in Mexico on February 3, 1954, to Juan Villalobos Sanchez and Rosario Chavez Sanchez. He came to the United States when he was just 15 years old.
He worked at the Red Bull and Star Broiler as a busboy for one year before going back to Mexico to complete his high school education there. He returned to the U.S. two years later and was hired by the Southern Pacific Railroad as a laborer at 17 years of age. Jesse was an incredibly hard worker with a tremendous work ethic.
As a result, he was immediately promoted to a Machine Operator. Jesse held many positions on the railroad, to include the responsibilities of Flagger, Foreman, and eventually Track Inspector. In 2006, he was recognized by the Union Pacific Railroad for his dedication to safety and was honored by becoming the recipient of the coveted Track Safety Award for that year. Jesse retired in December 2014 after a long and rich 44 year career which afforded him many friendships over the course of that time.
He was very proud of his accomplishment in longevity. At one point, Jesse was the most tenured Foreman the Union Pacific Railroad employed this side of Omaha, Nebraska.
Jesse was quite at home on horseback and he never turned down an invitation to “cow camp”. A saddle and rope were always within Jesse’s reach. Jesse was also a member of the Winnemucca Charro Association for many years.
Jesse had many other hobbies which included his love for hunting, fishing, camping and anything outdoors.
He enjoyed taking walks around Lake Tahoe and spending time with his many friends and treasured family. Jesse was an avid runner, having completed numerous 10K races, half marathons and marathons.
He would often sign up for these races having never trained. Yet he still managed some impressive finishes with his best marathon time being 2:49 (6:30 pace per mile).
Above all, Jesse enjoyed working on his farm. His greatest joy in life was spending time with his grandchildren there and making sure they understood the value of hard work and life’s simplicities.
He took great pride in “showing them the ropes” and watching them learn how to take care of the animals and manage the many obligations a farm requires. At the end of a long day on the farm, he looked forward to a well-earned picnic and a cold drink under the pine trees with his beloved grandchildren.
Jesse and Rosa met when they were both 15 years old. They were married 5 years later at Saint Paul’s Catholic Church in Winnemucca, Nev.
In 1975. The couple had just recently celebrated their 44th wedding anniversary with their daughter (Angie) and her family. Jesse was infinitely proud of his daughter and always stressed to her the value of an education. Some of his happiest moments were when she graduated from college with an undergraduate degree and later a Master’s Degree. Jesse was equally proud of his own achievement in becoming a United States citizen many years ago. Jesse did so alongside his father-in-law, Cruz.
Jesse is survived by his loving wife, Rosa, daughter Angie Cronin (Ken) and his two beautiful grandchildren, Kole and Avery.
He is also survived by his siblings Velia Cervantes, Guillermo Sanchez (Ramona), Juana Rising (Brad) and Eva Sanchez, his brother-in-law Dan Monarrez (Ciaren), along with many nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles in the United States and in Mexico.
Per Jesse’s honored request, there will be no funeral services. A Celebration of Life is scheduled for June 1, 2019 at 2 pm at the Boys & Girls Club in Winnemucca, Nev. Please join us in celebrating the great spirit that was Jesse.
The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Jesse’s name to a memorial scholarship fund that has been established at Lowry High School.
Donations may be sent to: Lowry High School (In Memory of Jesse Sanchez), 5375 Kluncy Canyon Road, Winnemucca, NV 89445.
The family would like to give special thanks to Velia Cervantes and Eva Sanchez for helping care for Jesse during his final days. Also, the family is eternally grateful to all of Jesse’s beloved friends and adored family who visited him, prayed for him, and supported him during this difficult time.
We are especially thankful to those who helped keep his farm going during the last 4 years of his illness. He often said that his friends were like family.
“The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit”. Psalm 34:18
