Families around the world are honoring Dia de los Muertos this week.
While some families in the South Bay are coping with loss, they’re also celebrating new life.
Jess Chairez is the father of Joseph Chairez, known as Joe. In addition to being a beloved son, Joe was a Sacramento police officer.
“He died of a brain aneurysm on the job while making an arrest,” Jess Chairez said.
Jess Chairez said that before Joe graduated from the academy, he told him that he wanted to be an organ donor, a decision Jess initially disagreed with.
But when Joe passed and doctors asked Jess if his organs could be donated, he knew he had to think that over.
“God gave me an answer right then and there and the answer was, ‘If I honored my son, I’ll be honoring him,'” Jess Chairez said.
MORE: Day of the Dead: Celebrating life, honoring ancestors in SF’s Mission District
San Francisco’s Day of the Dead celebration is more than a festive occasion; it’s a reflection on life, mortality, and ancestors who came before us.