Raul Nogales Duron (J.R.), 68, entered peacefully into eternal rest on December 26, 2012. He was born on November 7, 1944 in Douglas, Arizona the seventh of nine children to Cayetano and Mercedes (Nogales) Duron.

Raul grew up in Douglas and graduated from Douglas High School in 1963. After high school, he moved to California. Raul worked for many years as an auto parts manager and was last employed as a journeyman for JB Hunt.

In 1965, Raul married his beautiful bride, Lupe Hernandez, at San Salvador Catholic Church in Colton, California. They were happily married for forty-seven years and were blessed with four sons and one daughter. Also, Raul was blessed with eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Raul was a loving and dedicated father and family man who lived for his children and always provided for them. He supported all of their sports and school activities when they were children and, as they grew into adults, he was always there for them with practical advice about life. In his only daughter, he instilled the value of being an equal in both a household full of boys and in the world.

As a jack-of-all-trades, there was not a task too big or too small that Raul could not handle. He helped his kids with their cars and homes, and even taught his youngest son to play the guitar. His children will always remember him as a dad who had a sense of humor, a trait that he passed on to all of his children. He loved being playful, especially with his grandchildren. His grandchildren and great-grandchild called him Tata, Papa, and Grandpa Raul, which reflected the many different ways they saw and loved him. They will always remember the full moon from above that he claimed to be his very own. Raul was a loving father full of wisdom, thoughtfulness, and kindness.

The many hobbies Raul enjoyed included woodworking, building models, working on cars, and reading western novels, especially from his favorite author, Louis Lamour. He liked playing cards, chess, and loved telling stories. He truly cherished his yearly trips with his family back to his hometown in Douglas, Arizona. Raul will always be remembered for being an avid football fan. He loved watching both professional and college games at home with his family. His favorite professional teams were the San Diego Chargers and Arizona Cardinals. His favorite college teams were the Arizona Sun Devils, the Arizona Wildcats, and the USC Trojans.

Raul was preceded in death by his, parents, Cayetano and Mercedes Duron, and his siblings, Arturo Duron, Benjamin Duron, and Adolfo Duron.

Raul is survived by his loving and dedicated spouse Lupe, Colton; his son, Ernie (Mari) Duron, Oxnard; his son, Benny (Darlene) Duron, Colton; his daughter, Yvonne (Gus) Corona, Colton; his son Daniel (Teresa) Duron, San Bernardino; his son Anthony (Melissa) Duron, Colton; his brother, Ruben (Coyo) Duron, Douglas; his sister, Delia Duron, Douglas; his brother, Enrique (Petra) Duron, Douglas; his brother, Luis Duron, Douglas; and his sister Estella Noriega, Douglas; his grandchildren Kathleen, Benjamin, Christopher, Kristina, Dominic, Jennifer, Araceli, and Caleb; his great-grandchild, Cambria; his step-grandchildren, Michael, Jacob, Jeremy, Amanda, and Matthew. He was dearly loved by his brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, and by his many nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends.

A memorial service was held on Thursday, January 3, 2013 at Immaculate Conception Church at 1106 North La Cadena Drive, Colton, California 92324. A visitation will be at 10:00 a.m. followed by a Rosary at 10:30 a.m. and funeral mass at 11:00 a.m. Burial will follow at Montecito Memorial Park at 3520 East Washington Street, Colton, California 92324. The family will be greeting friends and relatives at the home of Yvonne and Gus Corona following the burial services located at 2576 Gunnison Way, Colton, California 92324.

Montecito Memorial Park and Mortuary in Colton, California is handling arrangements.

In lieu of flowers the family requests memorial donations be made to the Saint Jude Children's Research Hospital by visiting www.stjude.org and the Parkinson's Disease Foundation at www.pdf.org.

The family wishes to extend their heartfelt gratitude to all of the medical staff at Reche Canyon Regional Rehab Center in Colton, Inland Valley Rehab Center in Pomona, and the 2nd floor staff at Kaiser Permanente in Fontana.