Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.
Obituary
With deep sadness, we announce the passing of James “Jimmy” Aviles, who was born on November 23, 1967, and passed away on Saturday, September 5, 2026, in La Jolla, California, after a courageous five-year battle with metastatic colon cancer. He was just 58 years old. Throughout those years, Jimmy faced his illness largely in private. He never wanted cancer to define him or change the way people saw or treated him. Instead, he continued to live his life with the strength, determination, humor, and stubborn perseverance that those who knew him understood so well.
Jimmy was a devoted husband, father, Marine, and friend. He and his wife, Kelly, shared more than 39 years of marriage and a lifetime of memories together. They raised their two children, Alana and Michael, and built a life filled with family, adventures, challenges, laughter, and love.
Service was an important part of Jimmy’s life. He proudly served for 20 years in the United States Marine Corps before retiring as a Gunnery Sergeant from military service. That sense of responsibility and commitment stayed with him throughout his life and continued into his civilian career with the Department of Defense. He took pride in his work, but even greater pride in his family.
Jimmy loved his family deeply. He was enormously proud of his children and the adults they became, and he treasured the life he and Kelly had built together. His love was not always expressed through grand gestures. Often, it could be found in the everyday things—the conversations, the teasing, the projects, the routines, the trips, and simply being there when his family needed him.
Those closest to Jimmy knew his strength, his independence, and his determination to do things his own way. They also knew the man underneath it all: someone who loved deeply, cared about the people in his life, and believed in making the most of the life he was given. He enjoyed the experiences, adventures, and everyday moments that made life worth living—and he wasn't about to let cancer take those away from him.
Even during the most difficult years of his illness, Jimmy kept moving forward. Many people never knew the extent of what he was facing because that was exactly how he wanted it. Cancer was something he had; it was never who he was.
Jimmy leaves behind a lifetime of stories and memories that cannot possibly be captured in a few paragraphs. He will be remembered as a husband and partner of more than 39 years, a proud father, a retired Marine, and a man who fought extraordinarily hard to remain present for the people he loved.
His absence leaves an enormous space in the lives of those who loved him. But so much of Jimmy remains—in his children, in the family he built, in the stories that will continue to be told, and in more than four decades of memories shared with the people who knew him best.
He was deeply loved, and he will be deeply missed.
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Service
5795 Nobel Drive
San Diego, CA 92122
Service with military honors will last approximately 30 minutes.
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