Jorge Enrique Ordóñez, a resident of Imperial Beach, passed away in the early morning hours of Monday, October 16, 2017 from advanced dementia at UCSD Hillcrest Hospital with his wife by his side.  He was 82.

            Jorge was born on April 1, 1935 in Parita, a small town in Panamá, Central  America, with a population of only 500.  His mother, Isabel Mejía,  and his father, Manuel Ordoñez, had four sons, including Jorge, Blas, Jose, and Benjamin, and three daughters, Emilita, Leticia, and Maritza.  Jorge lived in Parita until he was 6 years old. Sick with an ear infection, he moved to Panamá City in 1941 to live in a one-room house with his Tia Tola and receive treatment and surgery for his ear.

            Jorge began elementary school in Panama City in 1941.  However, he continued to suffer from severe pain, infections and surgeries for his ear, so he did not return to school in the fourth grade and was schooled at home.  His infected ear would drain continually, which caused great embarassment to Jorge because of teasing by his classmates.

            Jorge's ear was not getting better, so his aunt sought help from her employer, who connected her with an American doctor in Panamá.  Jorge's family was very poor, and Dr. Reed performed a third surgery on Jorge's ear for free, while his hospital stay was paid for by his aunt's employer.

            Jorge did not return to school for four years and was taught at home by Tia Tola.  Jorge missed his mother and brothers and sisters in Parita very much.  His father had died from complications of a stomach ulcer when Jorge was in his early teens.  Jorge spent much of his time roaming the neighborhood, playing soccer & baseball with the other kids in his poor neighborhood.

            In 1947, Jorge's mother began traveling from Parita to Panamá City to bring chickens, eggs and fresh cheese to sell. Jorge began selling these eggs and cheese in the neighborhood.

            When Jorge was 14-years-old, his Tia Tola reenrolled him in school.  He became an honor student due to his love of reading.  Tia Tola made sure that he read aloud to her daily, as well as practice his math skills.

            In 1949, Jorge saw an ad in the “ESTRELLA” newspaper about a radio contest to select a child to act in a radio program called: “La Familia Perez.”  Without permission from his Tia Tola, Jorge went to the radio station, read scripts and was selected as the winner from among 90 children competing in the contest.  Alberto Arbesú was director of the R.P.C. Network and he hired Jorge as an actor/staff with a salary of $25 per month. Jorge was “Cuquito Perez,” a "Dennis the Menace" type character.  Jorge performed in radio for 10 years through his high school studies.  He became a child celebrity in Panamá because of the radio program.

            In 1955, Jorge represented his high school in the National Oratorical Contest and won the National Gold Medal, with his picture and accomplishment reported in the newspaper.

            Jorge still suffered from continual ear infections, and in 1958, a mentor from his high school political group contacted doctors he knew at Johns Hopkins Medical School in Baltimore, Maryland for help.  Working from a Spanish-English dictionary, Jorge wrote a letter to Dr. Proctor, an ear specialist in Baltimore.  Three weeks later,  Jorge received a letter from Dr. Proctor stating that he would perform a surgery for free on Jorge's ear. Jorge only needed to pay for the hospital.  Although Jorge was still earning $25/month from the radio station, this money was only enough for his Tia Tola to cover his medication, clothes, food and rent each month.  Jorge asked to borrow the money from the owner of the radio station, with an agreement that he would pay him back in installments from his earnings from the radio station. Jorge's mentor, Leopoldo,  bought Jorge two wool-suits and borrowed a coat and sweater for him, as this poor boy from Panamá had no winter clothes. Jorge traveled to  Baltimore in March of 1958, and Dr. Proctor operated on his ear at Johns Hopkins Hospital the morning after he arrived.  Jorge then stayed for a week in Baltimore with the daughter of a coworker of his mother's in Panamá.  Dr. Proctor wrote to the U.S. Immigration Office to request an extension of Jorge’s visa due to the need for additional medical treatment.

            Due to his extended stay for medical care in the U.S, Jorge was missing his senior year of high school in Panamá, so he connected with the local Catholic church, who helped him enroll in Loyola High School in Baltimore.  Jorge went on to study political science at Loyola College, and played for the school soccer team.  Throughout his high school and college studies, Jorge supported himself by living in a group home for emotionally disturbed kids as the "house parent". This was when Jorge met the love of his life, Jean Louise Kavanagh.

            Jean worked in the library at Loyola College, while attending its sister college.  Jorge said he saw the most beautiful woman in the world, but did not know how to approach her.  Jean was about a foot and a half taller than Jorge and did not speak Spanish.  He began asking her for help with school assignments, as he was still learning English.  At the end of the school year, Jorge finally asked Jean out for ice cream.  After college graduation, Jorge took a job teaching Spanish at Towson High School.  But Jorge wanted more than teaching, so he earned a master's degree in clinical psychology and counseling, and went on to work at Crownsville State Hospital.

            Jorge and Jean were married in Baltimore on April 10, 1966.  Sergio, their first child, was born on December 12, 1967.  Sarita followed on January 20, 1970.  They then moved to Buffalo, NY, where their third child, Gabriel, was born on August 12, 1972.  Jorge worked at West Seneca State Hospital.

            In 1974, Jorge obtained a contract with the U.S. Agency for International Development to return to Panama and work with the Ministry of Education to improve the country's education system.  Jean moved with their three small children to Panamá, and the tall, white "gringa" quickly learned Spanish and was lovingly welcomed into Jorge's huge, Panamanian family.  Lisa, their fourth child, was born in Panamá on May 25, 1975.

            Once the contract ended in 1976, Jorge packed his family and belongings into a red station wagon and drove through Central America to Houston, Texas.  Jorge completed his Ph.D in clinical psychology from the University of Panamá and worked as a psychologist, eventually becoming the Director of Clinical Psychology at the Harris County Juvenile Detention Center, where he worked for 30 years.  In a tough job, Jorge, known as "Doc" to his kids and co-workers, did everything to make sure that the kids, who went through the hardest times to end up at the detention center, were advocated for and protected.  Jorge would testify on their behalf in court, and appeared on "Good Morning Houston" many times to educate the public about kids in trouble.  Jorge took his own children to the detention center, and had his son's band play at the Halloween party, so that his children would learn about kids less fortunate than them.

            Jorge also brought his passion for soccer to Houston.  He coached all of his children in soccer, and started the Blue Star Soccer League in Houston.  Jorge also made life-long friends refereeing adult and kids' soccer games.  He became a Texas state assessor of referees, attended many of the games in the 1994 World Cup in the U.S., and was awarded a World Cup ring by the U.S. Soccer Federation.

            Jorge finally retired in 2005 and moved with Jean to Imperial Beach, CA when their first grandchild, Maya, was born.  Jorge and Jean lived within walking distance of their daughters, Lisa and Sarita, in the small beach town as the grandkids multiplied.  Their second grandchild, Lucas, arrived in 2004, followed by Safiya in 2005, Jonah in 2008, Noemi in 2009 and Sidney in 2015.  Jorge would often take or pick up his grandkids from school, coach their soccer teams, and regale them with unforgettable stories of his childhood.

            For his six remaining siblings in Panamá, nieces, nephews and cousins too numerous to count, as well as his wife's family in the U.S., one sentiment rings most often and true:  Jorge helped each and every one of them in any way he could.  His funny sayings and great dancing will be missed by all.

           Services will be held on Monday, October 23, 2017 in the Chapel at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum, 4470 Hilltop Drive, San Diego, CA beginning at 10:00 a.m., followed by the burial.  Reception to follow at 12:30 p.m. at 168 Elm Avenue in Imperial Beach.  Flowers can be sent to Community Mortuary, 855 Broadway, Chula Vista, CA  91911.  Donations to Alzheimer's San Diego, http://www.alzsd.org, are also appreciated.

                              As Papi always said, "Salud, Amor y Dinero!"