Though not a lifelong resident, Gregory Taxera has deep roots in
San Benito County,where his great grandmother was raised. Years
later, after experiencing life as a busy Silicon Valley
professional, the appeal of his ancestral home would bring him to
settle down in Hollister.
Hollister – Though not a lifelong resident, Gregory Taxera has deep roots in San Benito County,where his great grandmother was raised. Years later, after experiencing life as a busy Silicon Valley professional, the appeal of his ancestral home would bring him to settle down in Hollister.
Born and raised in San Jose, Taxera, 54, credits his family as the biggest influence on his life – even today.
“I’m really proud of my parents for all the guidance they gave me,” he said. “We were expected to serve others, whether in our family or complete strangers. We were taught integrity and the value of hard work. I can’t overemphasize how important hard work was.”
Taxera’s childhood was largely unremarkable, with one exception – he met the love of his life, Elke, when he was only 10 years old.
“She promptly forgot about me for the next three or four years,” he said. “But we started dating in high school again… It wasn’t easy, but I think we were very mature – we figured out that any relationship in life would take compromise, and we stuck with it.”
The couple were wed when they were only 18 years old – right out of high school – and celebrated their 36th wedding anniversary this year.
Taxera took another big plunge immediately after graduation, taking a job at IBM where he would stay for 25 years, climbing the management ladder in the process.
“I was lucky. IBM was a fabulous company to work for,” he said. “Technology moves so fast, these days I feel like a dinosaur.”
In 1999, after Taxera’s children Nicole and Rick had both finished college, he and his wife moved to Hollister, where he decided to try his hand at a new career: Real estate.
“It was a challenge,” he said. “It used to be that you worked for IBM for life, but that’s changed, as most people in the Silicon Valley have become painfully aware. But I realized that you’re never too old to go back to school… and real estate had always appealed to me. It’s interesting and you get to work with people.”
Taxera has also spent recent years grappling with a challenge of a slightly different nature – learning how to be a grandfather.
“It’s amazing, it changes everything,” he said. “A lot of it is coming to the realization that your child is an adult now, and you have to respect that, even if their parenting style is different from yours.”
In his free time, Taxera and his wife spend as much time as possible with their grandchildren. He also golfs and the couple are both active with their church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The two even plan on undertaking a mission in the near future.
“I didn’t get the opportunity to go as a young man,” he said. “But I’ve dealt with missionaries from all over the world and I think it’s really important work.”
While Taxera may be spending a few years abroad, he doesn’t plan on uprooting from San Benito County any time soon.
“We really love it here,” he said. “It’s a nice community, the weather’s great and it still has that hometown feel.”
Danielle Smith covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or
ds****@fr***********.com
