Carlos Daniel Zepeda

Carlos Daniel Zepeda was born on March 25, 1949 in Tucson, Arizona. He passed away on March 13, 2022 in San Diego, California. He is survived by his wife of 52 years. . . Lorna, his children. . . Letitia, Natalia, and Mateo, his grandchildren. . . Jessica, Dominic, Jordan, Luke, Joel, Olivia, and Ellenor, his great-granddaughter. . . Lucy, and his sisters Yvonne, Yolanda and Sodie. He was preceded in death by his mother, Jessie Jesus Zepeda Romo and father, Rogelio Zepeda. Carlos lived in Tucson as a child and grew to love the desert. He moved to Escondido at 16 where he attended Escondido High School. He met Lorna at 16 and they married at 20 years of age. They have resided in the Cardiff / Encinitas area since 1998. Carlos went to college to learn horticulture and eventually branched out into landscape design and maintenance as well as home and building improvement. Carlos loved the American Indian culture. At one time in our lives we lived on the Rincon Indian Reservation in Valley Center. Like the American Indian values, Carlos appreciated the universe as part of God’s creation and often talked about the universe as a whole, the harmony of the individual with the tribe, the tribe with the land, and the land with the spirit of the universe. Central to this is a belief in the Creator of all things and the Giver of all Life, nature as the foundation of existence, and the giving of respect to everything and everyone. Carlos was a worker. He always had a project going. He was always engaged in earnest, hard work. He loved the challenge of moving a giant bolder, transforming a yard into a garden, or building a beautiful shed. He was a perfectionist in his work. He would sometimes take a long time on a project because he didn’t want the work to end. He spent his days watching sunrises and sunsets, working on projects, going to the gym, reading, and watching sports. To those who met him or knew him, he was just an incredibly amazing father, grandfather, friend, husband, person, and storyteller. He was a giver of wisdom to anyone who would listen. He was also such a unique character with a quirky sense of humor. He was an incredible athlete - participating in triathlons, racquetball tournaments, golf and more. He loved running, swimming, biking, and was a spectator and fan of any and all sports. He coached his 3 kids in sports, and loved watching his grandkids play sports - Jessica playing basketball, Dominic playing soccer, Jordan playing volleyball, Luke playing baseball, and Joel wrestling. He also adored Jordan as a singer, Olivia playing violin, and Elle dancing. His love language was service, always ready to do something for someone. He loved the ocean, and water. . . . he swam like a fish and always said that “God is in the water”. He had an incredible gift for creating beauty in nature with his hands, planting, growing, and gardening. He loved books, reading and knowledge. He always pointed out Gods hand in life, and in nature. He taught us to make God our center. Family was his everything. He was our Champion.