Obituary of Jose Salvador Flores

On Tuesday, June 16, 2020, Jose (Chito) Salvador Flores, loving father of three beautiful children, passed away peacefully in his home. Chito is survived by his daughter Alyza Rodriguez, sons Joseph Cielo Breeze Flores and Anjoel Rey Flores, and love of his life Luisa Zapien. Chito also leaves behind a close knit family that includes his mother Margarita Orozco-Lappen, Papa Rick and siblings Monica Flores-Orozco, Ana Flores-Dominguez, Eric Flores and Octavio Orozco. Chito is now reunited with and resting alongside his father and best friend Jose Servando Ruiz Flores. Family was Chito’s most cherished gift in life. He was extremely proud of all three of his children. They were his greatest treasure and are now his legacy. He maintained close relationships with many members of his immediate and extended family. One of the most admirable things about him was the tender heart that he had for his loved ones and even for perfect strangers. He always did what he could to care for people and demonstrated great humanity towards others. For the majority of his childhood, Chito lived in Gilroy California. As a young adult, he moved to Arizona where he fell in love with the desert and found the place that he would always hold in his heart. From a young age, Chito served as an apprentice to his father who did Masonry work throughout California and Arizona. Chito eventually followed in his father’s footsteps and adopted the craft of Masonry as his trade. While this is the work that he did to make a living, at his core, Chito was an artist. His favorite part about the work that he did as a mason was the designing element. Chito always poured a lot of thought and effort into the aesthetics of his work and everything that he created was genuinely a piece of art. He enjoyed his work the most when he was able to do it outdoors under a warm sun that would transform his skin into a rich brown color. When you saw him this tanned you knew that he was happy. Aside from his family, music was perhaps Chito’s greatest love. Music was genuinely the language of his soul and nothing made him happier than playing his favorite songs at full volume. For Chito, it wasn’t about hearing the music, it was about experiencing it. Music moved him to his core and was yet another catalyst for his artistic expression. Chito loved to sing. When you watched Chito sing, it was as if you could see his heart pouring out with every lyric and tone that floated beyond his lips. Creating music was important to Chito. His artistic heart was most alive when he indulged himself in the creative process of composing his music. Chito was a jokester with a big heart and he will be missed by many. He will be cremated and buried at a later date. Due the restrictions set in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic, attendance for his services will be by invitation only. We hope that everyone will understand the circumstances under which we must limit the number of people that may attend his services. Rest in peace Chito. We love you. Private family Funeral Services will be held at Grunnagle-Ament-Nelson Funeral Home on Saturday, June 27th at 1:00 p.m.