Salvador Saavedra, 77, died Saturday, Jan. 8, 2011, at his home in Delhi following a brief fight against cancer.  He leaves his wife of 56 years, Maria Elena Saavedra; his daughters, Lina and Sandy; his sons, Jaime, Salvador, Oscar and Juan Carlos; 19 grandchildren; and three great grandchildren.

Born and raised in Mexico, the son of Francisco and Dolores Saavedra, he immigrated to the United States in February 1960, and resided in Oakland, Calif.  He began his employment with the Pacific Railroad. A year later he started working with the shipyards as a painter and as a sandblaster.  He continued this trade for 20 years before he finally moved over to become a custodian for the Oakland Public School District for 19 years.  For many years, Salvador worked extremely hard holding multiple jobs to support his family.  He retired at the age of 62 in 1995.

Salvador had a passion for spending time with his family and doing outdoor activities.  He especially enjoyed camping, baseball, and traveling, but his main hobby was working and fixing things around the house.

A viewing will be held from 12 noon to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 13, with a Rosary to follow, at Turlock Funeral Home, 425 N. Soderquist Rd. A funeral Mass will be held at 4 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 14 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Committal will be held in Oakland on Monday, Jan. 17.

Please leave your condolences with www.turlockmemorialpark.com.