Yesterday Sergio's earthly shell was laid to rest. I was a server at the family reception and was jolted when I met one of his close friends, Ivan. He kind of resembled Serg, but more than appearance I realized his spirit was similar to Sergio's. He was quiet-ish upon meeting him but kind and engaging. I had to fight to keep my composure. Then I realized all that was good in Sergio, all that is good in Ivan, all that is good in Taline and the girls, all that is good in any of us is the fruit of God's spirit, and experiencing it in one another is wonderful joy. Can you imagine heaven?There are many of you who experienced some of that sweet fruit in an encounter with Sergio. I am putting together some memories for the memorial and would like to include incidents which cameo his goodness. If you had an experience that greatly affected you, would be willing to write it here in the comments?
I will go through and use the ones I can for the April 23 memorial, but what I don't use at least will be here for his family to remember him by.
His service is scheduled for Sunday April 23, at 2:30 in the afternoon. Granada Heights Friends Church. 11818 La Mirada Blvd.
In lieu of flowers, a fund has been established for Adrine and Nairi called Girls' Life Events which will cover their special activites like swimming lessons, piano or gymnastics (or who knows what things will interest them in the future) lessons, extra classes at school, field trips, camps etc. Donations to this fund can be made to Taline directly or Taline c/o Parkville Insurance Svcs. PO Box 1275, Whittier CA, 90609-1275, or through Barbara Haney.
Mina Taylor
Mr. Perez was my 4th grade teacher at Laurel and to my understanding I was in the last class he ever taught 4th grade to. To say that Mr. Perez was my previous teacher would be an oversight and to say that he was a mentor of mine would be an understatement. The truth is he was both of those but more importantly he was a dear friend that played an influential role in my life. Mr. Perez wasn’t the authoritative type of teacher that created the division of us as students and him as instructor. No, the minute you walked into his classroom he was one of us, a student who was just as curious about the world as you were, only that he knew some cool stuff that no one else in the room knew and he just wanted to share it with you. He transformed that classroom into a true learning environment, whether through the corn snake he had and would feed in the back of the classroom, to the bust of Bach he had on his shelf, to any of the other little showpieces he placed around the classroom; he allowed us to explore a world that was beyond our own understanding at that time. He was never afraid to step outside the norm of what a teacher should be; he planned trips to the movie theaters to go watch a movie of the book he had us read in class; he would reward good grades and behavior by taking us down the street to McDonalds during lunch time; he would give us time to just be kids every Friday afternoon where we would have the playground all to ourselves; he sacrificed his lunchtime to play with us and would plan lunch time activities to get the other teachers to do the same. He truly enjoyed what he did for a living, showing me that we should do what we love and have as much fun as we can with it; a mindset that I still try to follow till this day. He showed me that learning doesn’t have to be boring, but that it can be fun and invigorating if you just know how to teach it.
ReplyDeleteThroughout my educational journey I have had over a hundred teachers, instructors and professors who have all played a role in getting me to where I am at today; however, I can say without a doubt that Mr. Perez was by far the most influential teacher I ever had. My best friend and I maintained a friendship with Mr. Perez up until our early 20’s (he would always remind us that we no longer needed to call him ‘Mr. Perez’ but could call him Sergio… but that just sounded weird to us because after all, he was Mr. Perez). We would stop by during or after class just to hang out with him; always walking around to see what new little showpieces he had lying around his classroom. Growing up, people looked at us strange when we would tell them that we still kept in contact with our 4th grade teacher; but who could blame them, they were the unfortunate ones who never had him as a teacher. Unfortunately with the chaos of “adulthood” kicking in around our mid-20’s and time just fast-forwarding by, our visits became less frequent until they just stopped… and I feel absolutely horrible for allowing it to stop. I am deeply saddened by losing a dear friend and saddened to think about all of the young minds he still could have helped shape.
Mina, I am not sure how much of this, if any, you could use for what you are looking for but I just wanted Mr. Perez’s wife, Taline, and his two daughters, Adrine and Nairi, to understand what Mr. Perez meant to me. I want to thank them for sharing such a beautiful spirit to the rest of the world, and thank them for any sacrifice they may have made that allowed us, his students, to have a part of him. I want to let his daughters know that their dad was not just some 4th or 2nd grade teacher but that he was a person that was able to change the world through every student that walked into his classroom. I can honestly say that I am a better person, a better professor and a better father because of my 4th grade teacher and I have their father to thank for that. I am deeply sorry for their loss but I want them to know that they have an extended family in every student that their father has impacted. My deepest condolences to them.
Sincerely,
Javier
Javier: This was so poignant. So very good. Might you be willing to read it aloud into a microphone for me? Do you live near Whittier? Can I call you? Or you can call me? We screen our calls so leave a message please. THanks
Delete562 698-3038.
I recall seeing the Perez family at Whittier Area Community Church. The church said a prayer for the family and specifically for their littlest one. After that prayer I took notice of Mr. Perez's peaceful disposition at Laurel E.S. where my girls attend school. It really was encouraging for me to witness. As a mother of 4 and a sibling of 5, worry can be all to consuming, something terrible, but Mr. Perez without even a word spoken impressed upon my spirit the peace that surpasses all understanding, guarding his heart and mind in Christ Jesus. How I appreciate that kind of surrendered faith in our loving good good Father our steadfast anchor of our soul. Our joy of the Lord strength. I recognized a humble and ready to serve his community Laurel Lion teacher; Mr. Perez forever in our hearts. His influence is that of a faithful disciple of our Lord Jesus. 'Love one another and by this they will know that you are my disciples'. Another reflection of Mr. Perez's goodness is the meeting location of 'The Good News Club.' Mr. Perez opened up his classroom, which would fill up with about 30 kids in the club 😍"For where two or more gather in my name, there am I with them."Jesus
ReplyDeleteProverbs 10:7 says:
The memory of the righteous is a blessing.
Thank you Veronica: So special.
Delete