1952 – 2012

On March 26, 1952, Dr. Jesus Martell Partida was born to Benilde and Jesus Partida. He was the eldest of three children, sister Sandra and brother Geraldo or “Jerry.”

They lived in a very poor section of El Paso and before he was 4 years old his father left the family and was never seen or heard from again.

“Chuy” would be very free to tell you how he grew up and how hard those years were for him. He would tell you that he experienced a very difficult life. When his brother was just a baby, he had a very high fever and a seizure, which resulted in anoxia. After this event he required total care. He died only a few years ago.

As Chuy grew up he had a tumultuous relationship with his mother until she died in 1969 when Chuy was just 17 years old. They were so poor they didn’t have enough money to pay for her funeral.

He was then left to care for his younger brother and sister, and even after all of that, decided against all odds to pursue a profession as a doctor. At the time he had no support emotionally or financially; in fact he was told that he would never be anything more than a TV repair man.

In the next few years, with lots of tenacity, stubbornness and strength, he not only graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso but also was admitted to medical school and graduated from the Medical College of Wisconsin in 1981. His journey then took him to Los Angeles where he began a residency in psychiatry at L.A. County USC Medical Center and where he would meet his wife Ann Lorraine Dunkle who worked as an occupational therapist.

Chuy decided at this time to leave psychiatry and pursue a residency in family practice. After he and Ann were married on Sept. 15, 1984 they immediately packed up a U-Haul truck and moved to Chicago where Chuy would complete a residency and become a family practice doctor.

Upon completion of his residency and tired of living in frigid weather, they moved back to sunny California and settled in Sylmar. Several years later they began to build their family through adoption.

In 1991, with only three days notice, they brought home their first child Daniel.  Soon after they were victims of the Northridge earthquake and their house became uninhabitable.

Homeless, they moved in with Ann’s parents for a few months while they began to put their lives back together. After many headaches, stress and frustration, they left their Sylmar home and moved to La Cañada.

In 1995, after six long months of waiting, they adopted Matthew. During this time, Chuy was working for the City of Los Angeles as a doctor in the jails.

Then in 1998, this time with only a few hours notice, Emily was born. Finally – a girl! The following years were spent raising their long-waited-for family.

Throughout these years, Chuy worked in various clinics and Urgent Care Centers with the latest being at the City of Los Angeles in occupational health and for the County of Los Angeles at High Desert Health Center in Urgent Care.

Until his death his greatest goal was to take care of his family.