Marine remembered as a happy person who loved pingpong

A recreational center at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma seems “real empty” without Cpl. Pedro Conceicao, according to Ericson Cabalbag, better known to his friends as “Eson Cab.”

He met Conceicao in the Rec Center, where Conceicao went in almost everyday to play pingpong.

“He came in to the recreational center where I work. One day he came in and him being who he is, he introduced himself, and from that point on we managed to keep the friendship,” Cabalbag said.

“Pedro was a great friend, Marine and person overall. He didn't ask for much, just to have fun and to keep it 100 percent real,” Cabalbag told the Yuma Sun.

The 24-year-old Yuma Marine from Fairfax, Va., died in a rollover accident in San Diego early Sunday morning. He was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene.

The driver, fellow Marine, Ashley L. Maya, 21, was intoxicated and speeding when the accident occurred at 3:25 a.m., according to California Highway Patrol. She reportedly said she wasn't injured but was hospitalized for observation.

CHP said Maya would be charged with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated upon her release from the hospital, but the Yuma Sun could not reach officials by Thursday to confirm if that had happened.

Cabalbag said Conceicao had just left the Marine Corps. He remembers his friend as someone who always seemed happy.

“He always smiled. Never a day have I seen this man unhappy. And if there were days that he felt un-right he would always come and talk to either me or the other close friends he surrounded himself, with like Cody (Nichols).”

Conceicao loved playing pingpong with his buddies, including Cabalbag and Nichols.

“Every lunchtime, every day he's off work, he comes in and spends most of his time playing or just talking,” Cabalbag said.

“As the days and years went by, we just hung out a lot, either at work or outside from the base. We also did road trips to Phoenix.”

They became so close, Cabalbag considered him more like family.

“He would do anything for anybody and never ask for anything in return. He kept me in line many times when I had my darkest days and days that would go against me. He always told me, ‘Do you. Nobody else matters unless you know yourself' and to keep close ones like friends and family beside for that support.

“I still can't believe this man is gone, and it's too soon to see my buddy go like this. But as the days go by, I understand now that he's in a better place doing what he did here when he was alive.”

Conceicao was an aviation supply specialist who joined the Marine Corps in 2008 and served in Afghanistan. He was awarded the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal and the National Defense Service Medal.

Mara Knaub can be reached at mknaub@yumasun.com or 539-6856. Find her on Facebook at Facebook.com/YSMaraKnaub or on Twitter at @YSMaraKnaub.