This is our Jesse J. Rodriguez Jr., a proud and faithful United States Marine, a Grandfather, a Father, a Husband, an Uncle, a Brother, and a Son.

Jesse was born in the great state of Texas, and after joining the Marine Corps, moved to California, where he met and married the love of his life. Jesse passed away at the age of 73 on April 12, 2025. We are looking to raise funds for funeral costs. Although he was a proud Marine in life, in death, we discovered too late that he was other than honorably discharged for medical reasons, which disqualified him from any type of benefits. In contacting Veteran Affairs, they have agreed to update his discharge to Honorable, but it will not take effect in time for his end-of-life service.

Jesse was deeply loved by his four daughters, his five grandkids, and friends he came to know along the journey of his life. Most of Jesse's siblings that he was close to in life have passed away at a much younger age, such as his closest sibling, Linda Rios, who passed in 2002.

The family is in a great state of grief as his passing was very sudden and unexpected. Although Jesse battled dementia, diabetes, and was receiving dialysis, he was a fighter. After losing all of his toes to diabetes, Jesse still managed to walk around just fine with minor assistance from his cane. Jesse was homeless for 5 years and overcame homelessness despite his medical conditions. Even with his dementia, which often left him confused and unable to answer certain questions or formulate full sentences, Jesse always managed to remember how to get to his oldest daughter's apartment, which was close to 20 miles away from his assisted living. To this day, no one knows exactly how he managed to do it. Jesse kept a positive attitude and laughed often.

Jesse's daughters are asking for any donations to help lay their father to rest. To honor him as a Marine, we have already secured his burial blues from Dorothy's Military Shop, who, after hearing our story, graciously offered to find his dress blues at a reduced cost and then proceeded to donate his coat and pants for free. We were able to secure his medals for National Defense and Good Conduct from the USMC School of Communications and Electronics, which were some of the only things he could remember close to the end of his life. Jesse always held onto the fact that he was a Marine. Please offer any support to help honor him.

Semper Fidelis