Guillermo Arías Magana, loving husband, generous father, and beloved grandfather was taken from this world very suddenly on the morning of Saturday, December 31st, 2016 at the young age of 64.

He was a strong but gentle soul.  Those who had the pleasure of knowing him likely never heard him raise his voice.  He valued honesty, hard work and integrity, and modeled this character for his five sons and twelve grandchildren to follow.  He enjoyed a good story, a beautiful day of work outside, time spent with his wife over coffee and could often be found quietly laughing in the background at his grandchildren’s antics during family gatherings.  In his later years he acquired the life that had always been his dream- to own a piece of land and raise animals alongside his wife.  It was his great joy to care for his animals; feeding them, birthing their babies, even building all their stables himself, and ultimately providing a more self-sustaining life for his family.  This he did happily until his last day.

Born February 4th, 1952 in Pénjamo, Guanajuato, México: Guillermo was the youngest child of six to parents Albino Magana and Paula Arías.  He led a happy and simple life.  Though his formal education was limited, he was, and continued to be throughout his life, a man curious about the world around him and interested in learning.  In addition he served in the Mexican National Guard as a young man before settling down.

As fate would have it, he met Virginia early on.  She was strong, determined, and didn't have a problem saying what she thought.  She immediately had his attention and his heart and they married on January 15th, 1974 in the Catholic Church.

More than anything he wanted to provide a secure future for his new wife and young son, Martín, so he decided to sacrifice his life with them in México to go north to the United States in January 1976.  He worked tirelessly for 3 years until he was able to bring them up as well in November of 1979.  

Over the years he continued his career of agricultural work, providing a good living for his growing family, working at 100 Circle Farms and Watts Brothers.  This diligent work made it possible for him to financially care for his parents in their old age, as well as help his sons finish school and start their own barber shops.  He was as generous as any father could be and satisfied to know that all of his children were starting off well in their lives. 

His dedication to a job well done was not overlooked.  Due to his consistent performance and even his self-taught English and math skills, he was promoted time and again and ended his career as an Irrigation Technician Supervisor, in which he was known to run a tight ship and command the respect of everyone who worked under and over him.    

He will be missed beyond measure by those who survive him, which include his siblings, his wife of 42 years, Virginia Duarte Magana, his sons Martín, Jaime, Óscar and Sergio, his daughters'-in-law and his grandchildren.  He is preceded in death by his parents and his sons, Rodrigo and Jose.