Obituary of Jose Anthony Morales

Jose Anthony Morales (A.K.A. Tony-by his family) was born in Brooklyn, New York on July 28, 1954 and passed away on February 5, 2005 in University Place, WA. He grew up in a very large family of 13 siblings. His mother, Diana Rivera Morales, preceded him in death. His father, Jose Antonio Morales, died when Jose was very young, but somehow Jose was able to rise up and become the wonderful person we all knew and loved. He joined the military during the Vietnam War era, but was told after two years that he would not be allowed to go into combat, because all his older brothers were already there and at that time, all male siblings were not allowed to fight at once. Jose had two children, Diana (New York) and Anthony (Kansas City), from an early relationship. Both children grew up in the New York area. He married the love of his life, Stephanie, on July 30, 1986. Stephanie had four children, Jeremy, Corey, Laura, and Joey. Jeremy lived with Jose for several years after Stephanie passed away. He loved his stepfather and credits him for making him the loving father he is to his son. Jose eventually went to work as a mechanic for United Parcel Service in Tacoma where he worked for 20 years. He was adored by many of his co-workers because of his positive attitude and his work ethic. He would never let one of their "cars" out of his care unless it was safe and running perfectly. Whenever one of his friends or family needed help, he was always there to lend a hand, whether it be financially or physically. Most of Jose's free time was consumed racing radio controlled cars, playing with his cat "Kato," the biggest cat on the block, and watching the Speed Channel. If the cable company offered a one channel package, Jose would have been first in line. He raced radio controlled cars since the late 1980's and was instrumental in developing R/C car racing in the Northwest. At the track, he made it his job to always be there to help nurture new racers along and to treat everyone with respect. He never rested until the traction was as good as it could be and even made his own brew at one point to try to make the race surface more sticky. At his home track, Fantasy World Raceway, we will be naming our Memorial Day race/swap meet (which was his idea), the Jose Morales Race for the Cure, where all proceeds will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation to fight breast cancer, which was his most important cause. Inurnment to be held 2/18/2010 at 1PM at Tahoma National Cemetery, 18600 SE 240th St., Kent, WA 98042.