Life Long Coltonite Carlos Aboytes Jr. Honored for Service

The late Carlos Aboytes Jr. was honored with a military banner in March of 2015 by his family, friends, and the City of Colton. Aboytes enlisted in the Army in 1956, where he served for a total of three years. According to his wife Estella Aboytes, he served in Korea during his time and he held various duties included patrolling the border between North and South Korea, and other zones within the area. Both former Yellowjackets, the couple started dating at a young age, and have been together ever since. When he arrived back to Colton, he married his sweetheart Estella, whom was just then graduating from Colton High School. “He was a senior when I was a freshman,” she shared. “Carlos was very popular in school; he was very well-known.” According to Estella, he was a part of the Mexican Youth Club. His hobbies included listening to music and dancing. “Carlos would dance all the time,” she added. “He would dance the mamba with his good friend Eddie.” Other than those hobbies, Aboytes was a busy young man as he was very dedicated to helping his father’s towing business, The Aboytes Garage, located in south Colton. “His family was very proud to have it,” Estella said. Estella shared that his mother had a jukebox in her diner and most of the kids from school would stop by and they would all dance to the music. “I think it was in the family, they were all good dancers,” she explained. Estella shared that if he hadn’t passed away in 2014, they would’ve been married for 56 years. Together, they had three children: daughters Wanda Aboytes-Reihanabad and Sheila Fortunato and son Earl Aboytes who were all born and raised in Colton. Aboytes worked in construction for many years after his service. “He was glad to see that Colton had grown from where we went to school,” she added. It was initially Estella’s idea to get him his very own military banner. “I saw other banners and immediately thought that he needs one,” she explained. “He loved being in the service; he wanted to serve his country and he was dedicated.” The day of the installation ceremony, many of his family members and friends gathered between 494 and 498 S. La Cadena Drive to watch Aboytes’ military banner be installed. Aboytes' son Earl also shared a brief bio about his father during the installation ceremony. He titled his speech "My Father the Hero." He concluded his speech by defining the word hero. "A person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities. I certainly admire my father for having so bravely served the military," he said. "I love you and miss you dad. You will always be a hero to me." Colton Mayor Richard DeLaRosa was also in attendance to show his support.