Demas (D.J.) Borba passed away at the age of 92. He lived the majority of his life as a resident of the Central Valley and worked on the family dairy as a youth into young adulthood. D.J. attended college briefly before returning to help with the family dairy and then served in the U.S. Army during the Korean conflict, stationed in Germany. Before his deployment overseas, he married his first wife, Juanita, who passed away shortly after his return home. It would be many years later that he would eventually remarry. D.J. and Verna would spend the next 55 years together.
After deciding to leave the dairy industry, D.J. took up what would prove to be his true passion, truck driving. D.J. drove cross-country through every state in the contiguous U.S. until his elder years when he blazed trails just in California. As life continued to slow down, he worked locally for almost a decade, driving a dump truck for a roofing company, reluctantly retiring at 83. It was during his early trucking years that he made his life-long friend Manny, who stayed true in honoring their friendship to the end. D.J. encountered many health issues over the past decade and beat back death’s door on multiple occasions. He had an incredible will to live, so it was difficult to watch his inevitable and irreversible decline over the past several months. It was with great sadness that family and friends, along with facility and hospice staff who had all grown to love D.J. and considered him family, had to say “˜goodbye.’ However, as hard as “˜goodbyes for now’ are, it is with relief that we turn him over to the loving arms of our Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ, whom we praise for their unconditional love and grace.
D.J. was preceded in death by his wife Verna, step-daughter Deborah, son-in-law Dennis, sister Agnes, brothers-in-law Tony, Gordon, and Jim, sister-in-law Joyce, as well as his parents. D.J. is survived by his daughter Lisa (Brian), granddaughters Heidi, Cynthia, Shawna, Angela, and Kirsten, eight great-grandchildren, two great-great grandchildren, a brother John (Vera), and sister Elsie, along with many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
There are no words to convey the depth of our gratitude for the tender loving care and friendship provided by Oakdale Nursing and Rehab and Optimal Hospice; you made D.J.’s world a brighter place during his final years and he considered you all family. We would also like to thank the community of Oakdale, who consistently and humbly displayed outstanding generosity and loving care for our seniors at ONRC.
In lieu of flowers, remembrances can be donated in D.J.’s memory to Optimal Hospice, 1101 Sylvan Ave #B10, Modesto, CA 95350 or Holbrook Indian School, PO Box 910, Holbrook, AZ 86025.
Visitation will be at Allen Mortuary, 247 N. Broadway, Turlock on Thursday, January 17 from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., and graveside service on Friday, January 18 at 1:30 p.m. at Turlock Memorial Park.
Condolence(1)-
Gwen Cederlind says
February 5, 2019 at 10:52 amI happened to notice this memorial of my childhood neighbors “ son. His parents, who were so kind and loving in the culdesac, helped us feel that their family was part of our close knit court. He was always called Demas by his father “Mr Borba”. Condolences to Demas’s close family and especially to brother Johnny and sister Elsie who were kind to us kids and to my parents too.