Celebration of Life: Jess De La Cueva, December 5, 1943 – August 14, 2024

Jess De La Cueva (AKA Jesus Del La Cueva Gil De Montes), born Dec. 5, 1943, died peacefully on Aug. 14.

Jess was son to Spain’s Philippine diplomat during WWII, Jesus De La Cueva Ruiz (deceased) and wife Adelina Gil DeMontez Arechavala (deceased). Jess sponsored his only sibling, Juan Jose De La Cueva (deceased Oct. 26, 2023), his brother’s wife Maria (Lola) Pozo De La Cueva (deceased), his surviving niece Alicia and nephew Juan. He is survived by many cousins in three countries.

His hobbies included pranks; making a guitar and a ham radio from scratch; and learning various languages while talking to ham radio operators worldwide. He was fluent in at least five languages and could communicate in a few others. Jess volunteered for service in U.S. Army. He served in the Vietnam war and South Korea, earning U.S. citizenship.

He worked at Honeywell, General Dynamics and a short while at a private firm where he is credited with two others on a patent for High Performance Vehicle Radar System (sensors now in trucks and cars), many people enjoy these features on their cars now. He also interpreted a contract between a tribe and a major U.S. corporation, for an organic fluid extracted from South America which controls flies and bugs in restaurants. He designed power supplies, radars, simulation trainers and other products for the Department of Defense.

Jess retired at age 40. “I have too many projects to complete,” he said at the time. Jess helped close out the Spanish family business after his dad died. He sponsored his mother when she retired from service with U.S.A. military, moving her to California and then cared for her when she got ill. He took care of his potential fiancé, moving her to his home after she got sick and eventually died. He did same for his brother Juan.

Jess led a very extraordinary, successful and accomplished life. When asked if he prayed, he answered that he didn’t pray Hail Mary or Our Father except in rosary, but “I talk to God every day.” He never married and had no children. He was “uncle Jess” to children of John Theisen. Jess designed, bought materials, then enrolled John Theisen to help him install a solar system into a community swimming pool in West Covina so that local children could enjoy the pool and keep out of trouble.

Jess helped many people. He loved his family and life. He loved people, using a Spanish proverb translated to, “Life has a flavor the sheltered never know.” Funeral Mass for Jess is planned for 10:30 a.m. rosary, 11 a.m. Mass, on Oct. 23 at St. Malachy in Tehachapi, with burial at Bakersfield National Cemetery, exactly as he desired.

This has been edited to fit the space available. Read complete obituary online at: http://www.woodmortuary.net/obituaries/Jess-De-La-Cueva/#!/Obituary/.