My father was known to so many by Bill Rico and he was known for his dedication to work and always tried to do work that he could be proud of. So many of the sidewalks throughout El Cajon city were laid by him and to this day you can walk around and look down and see where he signed his name on one corner of one sidewalk square on every job he did. He was also known to many of the police officers of that era as they would have picked him up and taken him to sober up in the drunk tank at one time or another.  But any drinking he did was done after he had completed his shift for the day. And most often after he had been to visit his baby girl who spent about 3 to 4 months as a newborn in the hospital. He always made sure to go to the hospital and carry her for some time before he would leave and go out drinking with his brothers. Even though I never got the chance to know my father even after I was grown and started dating my first boyfriend I would meet friends of his family who had worked with my dad and could tell me about him. In 54 years I have never met a person who could talk bad about my dad, I have always been told what a good person he was and how he loved his kids. 

My Father was shot and killed at the Mello Time Inn in El Cajon California on April 16, 1971. He had gone out drinking with his brothers and they played a game of pool against 2 men and when the men lost they were angry and followed him out into the parking lot. He was shot in the back as he went to get into his truck. He was later pronounced dead at the scene before his wife could make it there. She pulled uop as they were pronouncing him dead. He left behind 4 daughters between the ages of 18 and 1 1/2 years old, and 1 son age 5