Temo’s O-BIT
Cuauhtémoc Quetzalcuatl Kish, FKA Kish, and AKA James Joseph Paul Kish, is still alive, but wanted to be able to publish his obituary before he died. For every year that he continues to breathe, and update, he will do so. Let this also be a reminder that if you don’t want to wait until Cuauhtémoc passes, it might be a good idea to contact him and arrange for a luncheon or coffee date.
Cuauhtémoc was a loving (and not so loving) husband. X’s included Russell Lee Riddell (divorced due to alcoholic dependency), Richard Rocco (deceased/divorced due to irreconcilable differences); & Doctor Fidel Espinosa (his very best friend). Kish was a proud father to Cuauhtli and Tizoc (male Xoloitzquintli dogs); Princess Amaiya (a female Peruvian Inca Orchid), Chaparro & Yatzachi (both Xolos), all deceased except for his daughter, Yatzachi. Cuauhtémoc is currently looking forward to the beginning of a third decade with Jorge Gutierrez (skeptics said it would never last), who hopefully will bury him (cremation already arranged and paid for; one call does it all).
Kish was especially proud of the fact that he and Jorge wrote their names in the California history books, as they were one of many same-sex couples to be married in San Francisco on February 12, 2004. Sadly, this marriage was subsequently invalidated by an state’s appellate court. Jorge & Cuauhtémoc moved to Domestic Partner status for a few years until they married once again, legally, in San Diego County in 2008.
Cuauhtémoc will always be remembered for his dramatic nature, both on the stage and off-stage. He practiced his earlier theatrical utterances by inventing scenes within the confines of his family’s upstairs bathroom in Natrona Heights, PA, and wouldn’t come out until he finished those highly invented scenes in front of a steamy mirror.
In his youth, he earned a Second Place in State competitions for his exuberant prose reading, which paved the way to Jim being awarded the coveted Best Supporting Actor Award at Slippery Rock Sate College, an award he cherishes to this day, although he intentionally tossed this statuette during recent housecleaning. He was best known for the way he made Catholic nuns blush and stutter when he performed dramatic renderings of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” playing both George and Martha.
His earliest employments included the following: washing dishes for Ruth & her husband, who lived up the alley from his home base on Freeport Road, shoveling snow, caddying at the Country Club (a job he despised), setting up “duck pins” at the neighborhood bowling alley (yes; by hand, in the pit), and as dishwasher, soda jerk, cashier and short-order cook at Howard Johnson’s Restaurant, all accomplished before graduation from Hark-Brack High School,1967.
During his early youth (13) he wrote songs, two songs of which were actually recorded in a New York studio: “Up in the Teenage Treehouse” and “The Time Has Come,” an uplifting song about death and dying. In his middle years he penned several songs for Diana Ross to assist her in her comeback, but those songs (“Chocolate Dutch Treat” & others) never saw the light of day. Not one to give up, he penned over 30 songs for each of his short stories featured in “The Sissy Chronicles.” This musical would have won multiple Tonys if he had secured a producer with real money.
In the Service (he served 3 years in the U. S. Army, some of those years honorably); he never told and never got caught. He participated in a theatre group called The Gallery Players, forgetting most of his lines in productions like “Tartuffe,” due to a rather heavy, enthusiastic intake of German white wine, hashish, and diet pills. Outside of his theatre duties he worked as a stock control and account specialist, Company mailman, supply clerk, Company clerk, tire demounter (after being caught sleeping on the job), and Training non-commissioned Officer.
After he left the Service he worked as an apprentice (white slavery) at the Apple Hill Playhouse in Pennsylvania, before attending college.
So many accolades; so little space.
Kish was fired from a good number of jobs, including Pizza Hut, where he got easily distracted with the myriad shout-outs for toppings. He enjoyed working for a high-end caterer in San Diego, short-lived prostitution (Cuauhtémoc claims he did it for inspirational writing purposes and often forgot to collect the payment), cocktail & dinner waiter, and bartender.
Cuauhtémoc was a mediocre actor, a terrible director, a somewhat unreasonable, one-small-award winning playwright (hits included “Fridays With Maureen” and “Obits For Dummies”), a very good but under appreciated children’s story writer (several productions produced on stage), an illustrator, a published erotic fantasy writer, and was most proud of his published collection of short stories called “The Sissy Chronicles.” Kish was a featured theatre critic on both the radio waves (San Diego Theatre Scene), and in print, in such heralded publications like City Beat, Gay San Diego and The Lavender Lens.
After his escape from the harsh winters in PA, he worked at the casinos in Lake Tahoe (harsher winters); first, working the Big John at Harrahs and after relocating to Reno, worked as a Keno Writer. Prior to his departure from Reno, he was employed at Harold’s Club in the Prime Rib Room as a waiter.
Cuauhtémoc attended Slippery Rock State College, the University of Nevada, Mesa College, City College, and finally graduated from San Diego State University (Playwriting Degree). He obtained a Cosmetology license (1600 long hours), and briefly attended Court Reporting school.
Additionally, Cuauhtémoc studied to become a travel agent, and was a tour guide.
Kish’s career as a cosmetologist was short-lived, initially assisting at the Hairport Salon in Hillcrest, and then working at UN-Fantastic Sams. Due to allergies from hair products he was forced to give up this lucrative (for others) career.
He enjoyed his assignments working for the IRS; seizing and selling houses, businesses, and other assets gave him great satisfaction. While in government employ he excelled in public speaking, teaching, and investigative assignments (few can forget his Mae West infused “Make Me An Offer I Can’t Refuse” teaching slot).
While moonlighting from his government job, he was featured in several commercials, until the demands (too many auditions; not enough time) from his acting Rep forced him to give up showbiz once again.
Since he had a few seconds of extra time on his hands, he opened Tito’s Taco Shop in North Park. It was a delicious adventure, until it wasn’t.
Cuauhtémoc taught English to foreigners in Mexico City, while at the same time, securing jobs as an un-featured actor in movies (“Patrollero 777,” with Cantinflas), alcoholic beverage commercials, and working as a legitimate model. He is also known to have conducted the very last interview (such an honor) with Lupe Marin, the first wife of Diego Rivera, just before her death.
When Cuauhtémoc had enough of theatre, he discovered fabric (quilting) art while in the interior of Australia near Ayers Rock (it’s a long story) and dove right into a whole lot of fabric. He soon became an award-winning fabric artist (okay; 2 Second Places), and a little-in-demand speaker on the quilting circuit. He was most proud to have been accepted to exhibitions in Paducah (the center of the earth for all-things quilted), and to have made it into the sacred exhibition space at Visions Art Museum. He was featured on the front page of the San Diego Union-Tribune for his fabric art.
Volunteering at the Humane Society and at Visions Art Museum brought him great joy.
If Cuauhtémoc had to guess his future demise, it would be described as a comfortable suicide, avoiding a future that would include unnecessary caretaking because of Alzheimer’s.
Cuauhtémoc will—more-than-likely—spend the rest of his days pulling weeds in the front rock lawn, cutting the backyard bougainvillea, baking tarts and orange-lemon sponge cakes, cleaning the bathtub, and quilting small fabric art pieces. He fears no one, except Jorge. Oh, well, Cuauhtémoc & Kish & Jim said it has been a good, long run and indicated that his current 69 years is a very good number…
