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Gabe DeLeon achieved many things during the span of his life. His biography was given in the 1987 Lifestyle section of the Five Cities Times-Press-Recorder in celebration of his 80th birthday. Below is an excerpt from the article which entails the biography of his life up to his birthday.
"Born March 18, 1907 in Obando, Bulcacan, Philippines, he grew up providing for his mother and seven brothers and sisters. On December 16, 1926, at the age of 19, he left Manila and arrived in San Francisco on January 12, 1927. He was employed by W.M. Watson Company as a field laborer and cook at a labor camp located between Santa Maria and Guadalupe.
From 1929 to 1933, he worked at a Filipino store in Guadalupe and then at a Japanese store in Santa Maria until 1937. He served as treasurer for the Guadalupe Filipino Community during that time.
While working in the Japanese store, he met and married Yoshiko Tanaka who was also working there. In June of 1938 the couple went to the Philippines where their son Martin was born.
The family moved back to California settling in Pismo Beach in 1939. The following year, they moved to Watsonville and opened a small store. After the war broke out, DeLeon bought several farm crops in the Edna area of San Luis Obispo County.
While the family farmed in Edna from 1942 to the mid-1940’s, Yoshiko DeLeon gave birth to Patricia in September 1944.
Later in 1944 DeLeon bought two parcels of land, a home on three and a half acres in Arroyo Grande and 31 acres outside the city limits.
He also bought another 15 acres inside the city limits in 1948. That was the year he was asked to make a float at the Arroyo Grande Harvest Festival parade, representing the Filipino community. With the help of Filipino members he decorated a truck and won first prize. Ever since then, DeLeon has been active in many civic activities. In 1949, he was asked to be a member of the Arroyo Grande Lions club, in which he is still active and one of the three remaining charter members. On June 18, 1948, Gabriel DeLeon became a naturalized citizen. After taking the oath of citizenship, he registered as a Democrat and was elected to the San Luis Obispo County Democratic Committee in 1952. In 1959, Gov. Pat Brown appointed him to serve on the Central Coast Water Quality Control Board.”
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