Manuel Nevarez makes the right decisions
Five kids, a fishing club, and 26 Father’s Days have Manuel Nevarez reflecting on what it means to be a dad.
He became a father when he was 17 and again four more times: twice when he married his wife who had two sons of her own, and the fourth when they adopted their only girl, Bella, 6.
“It definitely made me grow up, and it
was a blessing for me,” Nevarez said of becoming a young father. His eldest child, Gage, 26, now works for him as a foreman at Allied Construction.
“It was definitely tough because I was young, but we made the best of it, and I couldn’t be any happier,” he said.
Nevarez’s elation over being a father of five carries over into his extracurriculars: he and wife, Mendi, run the Yuba-Sutter Youth Fishing Club, though their youngest son, Manny, 15, gets the credit for starting it and serving as the president.
“My wife and I, there’s nothing we love more than to help the community and give these kids the opportunity to do something new around here,” Nevarez said. “Nothing makes me happier than to help somebody else.”
Mendi said he makes a great father to their children.
“He is the sweetest person with a kind heart,” she wrote in a text message. “The kids and I hit the lottery having him in our lives!”
Raising four boys kept the Nevarez home busy with sports and fishing, and though Bella sticks to gymnastics, she still travels around to all the fishing club activities.
“We dedicated 99 percent of our time to our kids and still do,” Nevarez said. “I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Nevarez said fatherhood has taught him many lessons, though perhaps the most important is reflection.
“What I’ve learned was every choice you make is going to reflect on the kids,” Nevarez said. “So just make all the right decisions and be a good role model, so they don’t make the mistakes you did.”
And though he isn’t a grandfather, yet, Nevarez said he has learned that planning for the future is a big part of his journey as a father.
“It’s living in the present, but planning for the future is even bigger,” Nevarez said. “To make sure we do all the right things so not only our kids have a great life, but our grandkids do, too.”