A Life Well Lived

Willis Edward Veluz-Abraham

On June 24, 1970 at ten a.m. in Oakland, California the adventure to be known as Willis began.  Willis was the second son born to Wilhelmina Marie Louise and Neville Victor Abraham, Jr. and named after his fallen Tuskegee Airmen uncle Willis Edward Moore.  Baby Willis was baptized at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Richmond.  Willis blossomed in the San Francisco suburb, Richmond, where he learned to ride his first two-wheeler at the age of four from his big brother “Toby”.

Willis was a free spirit from the moment he first got Mommy’s approval to ride his bikes with friends.  He was often spotted in the neighboring town of Berkeley (seven miles away) with his riding posse.  Most of his early days, Willis could be found in the company of Andy and Maurice Woods, Patrick White, as well as other neighborhood kids mixing beats in the Woods’ garage, playing basketball and video games on the Atari.

Willis attended Kensington Hilltop Elementary School, Adams Junior High School, and El Cerrito High School. He cherished his relationships throughout his school years.  He still keeps contact with many friends from kindergarten.  But high school was a special time for Willis.  There are many stories of him piling friends into the family car, a blue Dodge Dart.  There were dance battles, ice blocking adventures, epic parties and outings.  Those who knew him would always remember his warm smile, his genuine friendly nature and how he would be game for almost anything. He was voted most spirited and elected student body president in his senior year.

He knew early on that he wanted to attend the University of California at Los Angeles and made little effort to apply elsewhere.  (Fortunately, UCLA agreed.)  While attending the prestigious university Wills’ charisma garnered him leadership roles in several student organizations, which included Director of the Jazz/Reggae Festival and the elected position of Cultural Affairs Commissioner.  He was a progressive leader who valued diversity and supported programs where students could learn about each other’s cultures and community issues. Melissa Veluz was Co-Director for WorldFest (1992-93), a multicultural festival housed under the Cultural Affairs Commission.  It was during the planning for this festival that Cupid’s arrow struck and Willis and Melissa became a couple.  He graduated from UCLA in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English.

He began his career with 21st Century insurance (now Farmers) in 1994, where he was promoted several times and was a supervising claims adjuster at the time of his death. One of his former co-workers states, “he was able to be a great supervisor that all his direct reports loved working for, that's a hard task in the claims world.”  And this is because Willis was so invested in his staff.  He worked with them to build their capacities so that they could be successful in their job.  He was an advocate for them, always looking out for his team.  He was fair and respectful of his co-workers, but he was also a lot of fun and very warm to his colleagues.

 

On September 24, 1995 Willis married his soul mate and partner for life Melissa Veluz.  Their life together was nothing short of spectacular with each escapade more exciting than the last. Together they traveled the world from Culver City to Vatican City.  Along the way they trained at the Shaolin Temple, climbed the Great Wall of China, strolled the Champs Elysee in Paris, broke bread with Melissa’s family in the Phillipines, gazed upon awe inspiring temples in Thailand, honeymooned in Mexico, felt the mist from a rain forest in Puerto Rico, and even chilled with Mickey & Minnie Mouse.  Salsa dancing was an enormous part of their lives as they danced their way around the world.

Willis was an integral part of the Kayamanan Ng Lahi Philippine Folk Arts  (KNL) cultural group since 1995 when Melissa joined.  He provided moral and tech support from the very beginning as the designated stage manager for most concerts and road trips.  He built props, called sound and light cues, marked the stage, prepared bamboos.   He did whatever was needed to ensure that the show was great.  What will be most missed about him is his constant encouragement of everyone in the group.  He was KNL’s biggest fan and constant cheerleader.  One can just imagine the pride on his face when Ajani, his eldest son, began dancing and performing with the group.  Willis was incredibly proud to be part of KNL.  It was more than a dance group to him and Melissa but also a family where the members shared in each other’s joys and sorrows.   From their wedding, to the births of their children and now Willis’s passing, KNL was always close by providing their love and support.

Willis practiced kung fu with the Beijing Kung fu and Tai Chi Academy for about 6 years.  He and Melissa became so committed to this sport that at one point they were taking classes five days a week at the studio.  Willis made many close friends at BTKA who shared the same deep interest in the martial art and supported him as he trained.  Willis competed at various levels with his favorite weapon form, the staff, and received a traditional weapons certification on May 29, 2006.

One of Willis’ other great loves was his church, Our Lady of Peace.  Willis began attending OLP while dating Melissa and converted to Catholicism shortly after their marriage. He worked tirelessly at the parish until he was called Home.  He and Melissa co-coordinated the College 4 Everyone Program, which helps prepare high school youth for college through workshops and campus tours throughout California. They also co-coordinated OLP Summer Camp acting as facilitator/advisors to the Youth Leadership Team.  Willis especially loved the youth of the church.  He saw great potential in them to be leaders in their community and to accomplish great things in their lives. Willis was a member of OLP Parish Council, San Fernando Regional Parish Council-Social Justice Committee, OLP Fiesta Planning Committee-Coordinator of Entertainment Stage and served in any capacity he could elsewhere. 

From his childhood days exploring the hills of the East Bay to his years in the cycling team at UCLA,  to, more recently, his weekly rides with the StreetGliders, a local cycling group, Willis had been very consistent about his love for bicycles throughout his life.  When his old bike was stolen last year, Willis was able to purchase a new road bike which motivated him to ride more regularly.   Willis was very excited to ride with the StreetGliders every week.  He would tell anyone who would listen how far he rode, how high he climbed and how he was able to keep up with the group the whole time.  He loved the sport and his bike and this was something he passed on joyfully to his son, Ajani.  Among his many proud Dada moments was the day Ajani came off his training wheels and graduated to a sixteen inch bike. 

Willis grabbed onto life with both hands and it showed in all he did.  He loved cars and Formula 1 racing, tasting cuisines from around the world, video production, baseball/softball, music (Jazz, Raggae, Hip Hop, Salsa, Bhangra and other types of World Music) and dance.  He and Melissa enjoyed attending concerts and cultural festivals throughout  Los Angeles.

Above all of his loves was his family.  He was a devoted Husband, doting Dad, dedicated Son and phenomenal brother.  The song when a Man Loves a Woman comes to mind when you think of Willis’ love and devotion to Melissa.  He once said he was hard wired to “take care” of his wife and just couldn’t help himself.  He doted on Ajani and Asante and looked forward to bringing them up to share his love of bikes, travel and dance.  He was a full participant in Ajani’s school and extracurricular activitities.  He cherished the special moments when he could rock Asante to sleep in the middle of the night or even just take him along for a Trader Joe’s run.  Parents couldn’t ask for a more dedicated son giving all he could, whenever he could.  He was the little brother that turned into a phenomenal man.  A man anyone would be proud to call his sibling.

Ajani said it best…

"He teached me to ride on the bike"

"He teached me to ride on dirt."

"I remember my dad that he played with me."

"He played basketball with me outside.  I always won."

"Dada raced with me all the time when he dropped me off at school.  I always won."

"Dada talked funny sometimes."

"He would sit next to me in the morning to eat his cereal with fruit and milk and cherrios."

"He take me to swimming at UCLA.  He gave me some snacks."

"I love my dad very much into the whole universe" (translation: his love for his dad is as big as the universe.  Ajani is an astronomy buff and knows how vast the universe is so that's big love right there.)

Willis’s generous and loving nature always brought people together as he never met a stranger.  His sense of humor could be showcased on any stage.  A person always felt better after being in his presence (no matter how brief) because of his humility and warm hospitality.

Willis died doing what he absolutely loved which is riding his bike.  While riding with the StreetGliders on Saturday morning July 14, 2012 Willis Edward Veluz-Abraham was called Home suddenly after a tragic accident.  He leaves to treasure his memory and miss him immensely; his wife Melissa Veluz-Abraham, sons Ajani Imanuel Veluz-Abraham (age 5) and Asante Dominic Veluz-Abraham (age 5 months), parents Wilhelmina Marie Louise and Neville Victor Abraham, Jr. of Richmond, California, brother Neville Victor Abraham III (wife Parry Ann) of Corona, California, parents-in-law Teresita and Carlos Veluz, Sr. of Panorama City, California, siblings-in-law Rhoda Denise Veluz-Le and Alphonse Le of North Hills, California and Carlos Veluz Jr. and  Kimberly Ann Veluz of Fullerton, California, one aunt Gloria Evelin Jackson of Chicago, Illinois, one nephew Nicolas Victor Taliaferro Abraham and six nieces, Nicolle Montira Brown of Inglewood, California, Michelle Antoinette Brown of Lancaster, California, Jaiden Carlson, Fiona Rose Le,  Chloe Denise Le and Charley Therese Veluz, six great nieces and four generations of cousins.