THE ROJAS FAMILY
My dad, Filmorno Rojas, was born November 29, 1907, in San Vicente Ilocos Sur, Philippines. At some time, he changed his name to James Rojas. At age 20, he boarded the ship President Cleveland and arrived in San Francisco on February 23, 1928. Eventually, he went to Stockton,
California, to work in the fields. He also went to Alaska to work in the canneries. He ended up in Watsonville to work the fields again, plus pruning apples and in the apple drying sheds.He married my mom on December 1, 1942, in Clark county, Washington, because they could not marry in Watsonville. My dad worked in the fields until age 80 and never complained about the hard work. He raised two sons, Phil Jr., and Jim. His daughter came later in his life. His hobbies were his garden, where he grew vegetables in the summer and winter. He made it mandatory that my brother and I kept the group spaded. Surf fishing was his other passion. He was a member of the Gran Oriente Filipino grand lodge and the Watsonville Filipino Community. At one time, he was also a cook for Mrs. Tabasa's Gran Oriente Cafe.
Dad passed away on May 5, 2002, to be with mom and his other Manong friends.
