euskalkultura.eus

11/26/2015 - Bakersfield, CA, USA

(Obituary published at Bakersfield.com)

June 3, 1971 — November 26, 2015

God received another angel into Heaven. He will be forever remembered for his strength of spirit and his amazing will to live. While his mind was sharp, his body finally gave up after a 19-year struggle which started with leukemia. He passed peacefully from his home in Thousand Oaks, surrounded by his loving family.

Jean Pierre was born on 6/3/1971 in Bakersfield, CA. He went to McKee Elementary and graduated from Bakersfield High School in 1989. He always worked with his family in their different businesses of gardening and raising sheep. In 1996, he moved to Lancaster, CA. His proudest accomplishment came from establishing their business, Maritorena Farms. Started from nothing, Jean Pierre, alongside his father and mother, worked endlessly to build one of the most successful alfalfa farming ranches in the Antelope Valley. He could always be seen walking a field, fixing a tractor, or adjusting water pivots. He married his high school sweetheart, Nicole Eyraud, in 2001. They shared a love for BBQ-ing with friends, camping at the beach, and 4-wheeling on the Pismo Dunes. He was an avid NASCAR fan. Family and friends would gather to see him compete in the Hay Wagon Contest at the Rural Olympics at the Antelope Valley Fair. Maritorena Farms won the prestigious "Alfalfa is King" award many times.

He will be forever remembered in our hearts and greatly missed. He is survived by his wife and strongest supporter, Nicole (Eyraud) Maritorena; his father and mother, Jose and Marie Maritorena; his in-laws, Joe and Carol Eyraud and their son, Grant Eyraud; his uncle and aunt from Chino, Dominique and Claudia Reca and their daughters, Catalin and Alexandra; goddaughter, Alexis Goyeneche; cousins, John and Adrienne Reca and their son, John Daniel; and many aunts, uncles, and cousins from France and Spain.