John Afaga

John passed away unexpectedly in his home on Tuesday, February 13. He was born on April 11, 1956 and spent most of his life in Yakima valley. Shortly after graduating from Wapato High School in June of 1974 John entered the Army and served as a material supply man. Upon completion of 3 years of service John returned to the Yakima Valley to work in a variety of jobs. John’s work experience was proof that John was a faithful and dependable worker. He worked for nearly 33 years at Snokist Growers as a machine operator. After Snokist, he worked in various other jobs. In November of 2013 he began working at the Yakima Herald and a wonderful world of new friends and life emerged. You cannot understand John without recognizing his love for Jesus Christ, his Lord and Savior. If you ever visited John in his home you would notice the many wall hangings that reflected his love for Jesus. John was a member of the West Valley Missionary Church and served as a custodian for over 20 years. He frequently expressed his joy of serving the Lord. The church valued John’s labor and protection of the church building. He will be greatly missed! John was a talented man. He often wrote poetry and penned prayers of faith. John loved holidays especially Christmas and he celebrated by expertly making delicious cookies to share with his friends. John added his personal touch to every birthday celebration by baking and decorating a beautiful cake! John’s sudden departure from this world was a shock to his friends and family. They are deeply saddened that John is no longer with us, but we know that, because of our faith, we will see John again in heaven. John was preceded in death by his parents, Dorothy and Senador Afaga Sr., sister Barbara Jean Afaga Bryan. Not only does John leave behind his friends, but family as well. He is survived by his brother Senador Afaga Jr., nephews Andrew, Ryan, and David, niece McKenzie Bryan, two great-nephews Julian and Aiden and two great-nieces Melody and Alexa. There will be two memorial services. One service will take place at Washington State Veteran’s Cemetery (Medical Lake) on March 8 at 1:30 pm. A local memorial service will take place at West Valley Missionary Church on Saturday, March 17 at 10:00 am. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of John Afaga, please visit our flower store.