K of C Council 6031 – Knight of the Month – May 2021
Jesus Cruz
Born and Raised in: Oaxaca, Mexico
Married to: Nelly Vivas-Cruz for how long? 16 years
Kids? 3, Natalie (15), Alisson (13) and Jordan (7)
Occupation: Construction Worker – work for Performance Plus Drywall for the past 13 years.
Major Jobs: I built my own house in Oaxaca, Mexica. My Father and Grandfather taught me construction, and I used that information to build and covered all of the costs for my own house.
Why you decided to join the Knights? Brother Vince Perez invited me to join. I had heard about all the good things the Knights did to help the church and community, and I wanted to be a part of that! I have learned something different from all my Brother Knights, and I really appreciate that! I feel really happy that I am involved in an organization that does such good things for the church and the community! I enjoy being involved, helping out in any way I can for such worthy causes, so I see myself being a Knight for the rest of my life!
What is one thing that your friends probably don’t know about you? I have a real passion for sports! I like watching every single sport, as well as learning about everything regarding sports. My favorite out of all of them is definitely Football, and I am a faithful SF 49ers fan!
Additionally, I met my wife here at St. Gabriel!
Back in 2001, I joined the St. Gabriel Young Adults Group and also joined the Spanish Choir. To my surprise, this beautiful young girl named Nelly was not only in the Young Adults group but also in the choir as well!
We met on a Halloween night while learning about Jesus and his disciples; it was a wonderful bible study session. One of Nelly’s girlfriends and her boyfriend introduced us to one another and from that point on, I couldn’t stop thinking about her! The four of us would go out together, and we never missed any of the meetings; eventually becoming part of the CORE group. I started picking Nelly up so we could go to the group together, then started taking her to work and picking her back up from work. Soon enough, we started dating. We dated for two years before our engagement. I proposed to her at one of the Young Adults Group meetings in the presence of all the members (very awkward), but I wanted her to know I meant business! She said Yes!, and soon thereafter we went to speak to her parents regarding our engagement and plans for marriage. We got married nine months later on September 4, 2004.
Favorite Hobby: Active in Sports!
If you got to start over again after graduating school, what would you change? I would change my attitude towards school! Academic preparation is really important in life. That is why I am making sure that my children get a great education and have a better future!
Did you travel much? I did not travel at all when I lived in Mexico, but when I got to USA, I traveled to Washington State, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona and California. I really liked the weather here in California, especially in San Diego. So, I settled here in Poway.
How long have you been a Parishioner of St. Gabriel? Almost 20 years – exactly 19 years! I remember being an Usher at the Spanish masses at the old church, and then having to move to the new church. Yes, I have seen St. Gabriel Church go through several changes!