Baroja Family,

My sincerest condolences. My words can never fill the gaping hole that is left when we loose our dear loved one. Jehovah our God is with you and He deeply cares for you and your family. Please take comfort in knowing that He will soon reverse the effects of death by bringing our loved ones back to life (Acts 24:15) He will also rid us of death which is an enemy to all of mankind (1 Corinthians 15:26). May these promises that will soon be fulfilled by our loving Father give you comfort and endurance. 

Hello everyone - I read this today at the memorial and thought it’d be nice to share with those who weren’t present and/or couldn’t watch. Feel free to reach out if you’d like to swap stories or just chat! Much love. 

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Hello, my name is Alyssa. Mike and I started working at RLS during the same year. During this first year, I would pass him by during school dismissal with a nod, a smile and a “how are you?” as you do with any other coworker. It was in the following years that we began getting to know each other as he started working in the after school program at RLS, EXCEL.

ln 2018, Mike and I grew much closer. Already at this point, I knew he was more than just a typical coworker. He embodies the true definition of a “kuya”. He listened, he learned, and he loved. I didn’t and still don’t know how to drive, so he was kind enough to give me rides through the Sunset District to my place in the Excelsior. During these moments, we talked about any and everything. I wish I could remember every single word, every single conversation, every passed by sunset.

We spent every day together on Zoom during the 2020-2021 school year, working in the after school program for the 5th grade students. I would open the room to him saying “Dude. Are you okay?” if I was a few minutes late or “Wow, so early!” when I was actually right on time. I would immediately make him the co-host and he’d start playing the Initial D soundtrack, Animal Crossing Lofi or Plastic Love (Cover by Friday Night Plans), a favorite of ours this year. We had some hard days where we’d just look at each other through the screen, lost, confused and angry at the state of the world.

Beyond this, he introduced me to so many new things. New music genres and artists, new food and restaurants in the Sunset. He introduced me to the holiday song, “Family is Forever” by the ABS-CBN Music All Star Cast and made our Zoom 5th Graders watch the entire music video. One of his favorite spots was a RLS family owned restaurant called Sushi Goemon. The pictures posted on here by Lily Huang are moments of him there. He spent many, many nights at Goemon, drinking, listening to music, being coerced into playing guitar or singing, and eating with friends.

After we went back to in-person learning, we both worked through Summer 2021 at RLS. We’d walk into school side by side, carrying too many things, fumbling for his keys. I’d do anything to walk into school with him one more time.

His classroom is filled with personality markers like 30+ Funko Pops, posters of Bay Area teams, magnets and drawings from students, and a glaring “Stay Humble” neon sign. He was too humble and I told him this time and time again in different conversations, in different ways, but he would laugh it off. He would jokingly shoulder check or side-eye me when I said something that was too silly or too absurd. He was excited to watch the Superbowl Halftime Show because of Kendrick… well, because of the whole performance itself actually. He loved being from California, but he loved being from the Bay Area even more. One time, he blasted SOB X RBE’s discography on the way to work and I laughed and laughed until my stomach hurt. The next day, he looked at me, said “Wait for it….”, and blasted his Hyphy Movement playlist. I laughed even harder somehow. We once sat in his car for what felt like hours listening to TWICE, playing our favorite songs over and over again. He wanted to get a tattoo, but he was too scared of needles. He pushed me into playing Fantasy Football this season, and I don’t even care about football. Before I was able to check the Fantasy App during the last week of regular season games, he texted me a screenshot and said, “It would be us for the last match of the season”. He beat me… He came in 7th and I came in 8th. At the end of our long days, I would sometimes be the one to begrudgingly close his tall classroom windows and grab his what felt like 100lb backpack. And I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

Not quite sure how to end this. We all have so many memories and stories about him, I’m sure. Every day, Mike and I would look at each other and commiserate, roll our eyes at one another, complain, laugh, yell, get annoyed, smile, yawn, and the list goes on and on. In life and death, he is truly one of my best friends, the brother I never had. I hope he knew that. I think of our goodbye on Wednesday evening. The “what if’s” linger, but I know in my heart that there’s no making sense of this. The only thing I know for sure is that that he will live on in my heart forever.

In the words of the late Maya Angelou, from her poem “When Great Trees Fall”:

“And when great souls die,

after a period peace blooms,

slowly and always

irregularly. Spaces fill

with a kind of

soothing electric vibration.

Our senses, restored, never

to be the same, whisper to us.

They existed. They existed.

We can be. Be and be

better. For they existed.”

To the Baroja family and Jashley, I am sending my love and gratitude. Thank you for your strength and courage. Thank you for sharing him with us. Thank you for everything. To his extended family, different communities, and friends, I stand beside you during this difficult time. It’s a honor to know and love him.