It is with a heavy heart that we have to announce the passing of our family’s patriarch. It is the first issue without him, and it is also the issue that we would normally mark his birthday, so it is especially sad for us. We, fortunately, have been blessed with a large family who is remarkably free of tragedy and death, and his life was both long and rich with family and friends. While he did not pass suddenly and we did have an extended opportunity to cherish his life and enjoy our time with him, it has nonetheless cast a long shadow on our lives and those of our family.
Ramon Briseño had spent all of his working life with the Navy, most of that as a printer. With his background, this magazine made him very proud. It made him feel as if a bit of his printing ink had metaphorically rubbed off on at least two of his children, and that brought a smile to his face every issue. He pushed and pushed his daughter Deanna to go into the printing world, and though she tried to swerve down other roads, she ultimately came back to his words of wisdom.
His love for going out and spending time with friends and family, along with our mother’s love for the same, rubbed off on us as well. In fact, it is a bit of an impetus to the creation of this magazine. We liked to be in the know about where to go on any given day, and this magazine filled that need. It has been great fun discovering so many of the cool and wonderful events and gatherings that the people of this community put on each year. It has been great to experience the new ones, sad to see some of the older ones stop, and heartwarming to take part in some that have gone on for generations—well before this magazine came to life.
It is uplifting to us when thinking of some of the events that we will attend with our family and friends this year and going forward, which we have also enjoyed with our father in years past. Some of those, like a Giants baseball game, will always hold a special place in our hearts, as we remember the times that we spent with him.
Some of you have made a tradition out of the events that we have shared in these pages, and we are glad that we have played a little role in that with you, over what will soon be a decade of publications. Some of you are, just today, discovering this magazine and perhaps we will help connect you to a new tradition soon, or sometime in the next decade. Regardless of how long you have been a reader of Local Happenings Magazine, we are glad that you have invited us into your life, and because of that, we feel a connection to each and every one of you. Because of that connection, we would ask all of you, on April 27th, that you might take the time to raise a glass or two in memory of Ramon Briseño, the man, who without, all of you would be missing out on some great Local Happenings!
In addition to our Father’s birthday, we would also like to celebrate the birthdays of Deanna Troupe, and Robert Briseño’s eldest son, Ramon (named after his grandfather) whose birthday also falls in April! To our friends and family who were born in April and May, Happy Birthday! Which includes, but isn’t limited to: Jackson, Debbie, Lindsay, Judy, Bonnie, John, Eric, Ronda, Juanita, Dennis, Shawn, Donna, Greg, Stacey, Dave, Carol, Sherri, George, Jim, Adam, Jimmie, David, Norman, Leeann, JD, Michael, Dan, Mike, Leonard, Amber, Benny, Steve, Joey, Tom, Scott, Renee, Kelly, Leah, Cathy, Jonathan, John, Leanne, Russ, Colleen, Leslie, Kathy, Wanda, Kim, Jeanne, Miguel, LaGuan, Marc, and all the rest of you wonderful people out there that make our community so amazing. We hope each of you have a fabulous birthday and a great year.
Until next issue, cheers!
Robert Briseño & Deanna Troupe
