Jose Leza Jr.

The world lost some of its sparkle on Monday May 1st as long time San Jose Native Jose Leza Jr, passed away at home surrounded by his loved ones after an eight month long battle with an aggressive form of cancer, at the tender age of sixty six. Jose known by many as “Pep” was born on June 21st 1956 to Jose Leza Sr and Socorro Calderon. He was the second oldest of seven children. Pep attended local schools McCollum Elementary, Sheppard Middle, and James Lick High school. At the age of seventeen Pep left home and joined the United States Army to provide for his family as he had just become a father to Jose III. He enjoyed serving his county and was a very proud serviceman. He worked his way up the ranks by becoming a Corporal, with his sights set on becoming sergeant until One day while on leave with some of his military buddies, he met the Love of his life Gerry. Pep and Gerry Married on July 18, 1981 after two years of dating, they lived in the Los Angeles area for a short while, eventually moving back to his home town of San Jose and went on to have two Children Cecilia and Steven. Pep was a man of honor, integrity, and many patients. He was extremely dependable and reliable you could always count on him for anything! He was everyone’s cheerleader, your go to guy, He would do anything for anybody! He was a people person, talked to any and everybody, even if just to ask how your day is going. He was always trying to make you smile, usually while being silly and goofy himself. He was a family man, that adored his family, and his presence will truly be missed. In his hay day he enjoyed Fishing, Camping, bowling and woodworking. As he got more mature Pep had become quite the gourmet chef! He used to say ‘Gerry makes the bacon and I cook it! He enjoyed watching sports, some might say just to torcher his children, but he was a life long Dallas Cowboys fan, who would occasionally root for home team SF Niners. Pep still enjoyed working around the house, fixing things or teaching others how to fix things. In his downtime he enjoyed watching his favorite shows NCIS, Big Bang Theory and played along with family feud and Pictionary. Pep made an impact in so many lives and will be missed tremendously by countless friends and family. In lieu of flowers the family request donations be made in Pep’s memory to his favorite Charity, the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. Pep had volunteered and raised money for over a decade with his team ‘2 Hearts of Gold’. His family will continue to Honor his legacy, keep his memory alive, and keep fighting to find a cure. Pep is survived by his wife of just shy of 42 years of marriage Gerry Leza, his three children Steven Leza, Cecilia Lopez , and Jose Rodriguez. This five grandchildren Octaviano Lopez, Luciano Lopez, Lorenzo Lopez, Javier Rodriguez, Jazmin Rodriguez, his Daughter in law Andrea Rodriguez and son in law Fernando Lopez Jr. In memory of Jose Leza, donations can be made to the American Cancer Society https://secure.acsevents.org/site/STR?fr_id=105109&pg=personal&px=47010948

Jose Leza Jr.

June 21, 1956 - May 1, 2023