Arthur Jason Labrador, beloved partner, brother, son, and uncle, passed away suddenly of a heart attack on Saturday, June 15, 2024. He was 64 years old.  While his life was cut short, he lived it to the fullest and was an inspiration to his family and friends.

Arthur was born on December 11, 1959, in Honolulu, Hawaii and moved with his family to Foster City, California in 1969. Most recently, he lived with his long-term partner, Adrienne in San Jose, CA.

Arthur was the son of the late Alejandro M. Labrador Sr. and Nancy Ann Labrador,  brother to Angeli, Alejandro, Arianne, Richard, Robert (Beth), and Marie (Larry), uncle to Alessandra, Sarah, Aidan, Mahealani, Owen, Helen, and Nancy and life partner to Adrienne Whitten.  He was a devoted  doggy dad to Cali and Summer.

Arthur graduated from the University of Maryland with a BA in Marketing.  Not satisfied with his career path a few years later, he saw the opportunity in the burgeoning tech industry, got a second degree in Computer Science from San Francisco State University and reinvented himself as a programmer and technical consultant.  Career highlights include working at Lawrence Berkeley National Labs, the hot late 90's start-up Marimba (now BMC), and then running his own business – Labrador Consulting.  He retired early to enjoy life and play tennis full time.

Arthur was a talented athlete in many sports, but excelled at those he focused on – tennis and later pickleball.  In tennis, he played on a championship team at Foothill College, before receiving a scholarship to play for the University of Maryland.  He continued competing for most of his adult life, in singles, doubles and mixed doubles.  He played up to the Open level, and was ranked as high as 20th in the country (Men's 45's singles), and won the National Hard Court Championship in his 60's.

When one of his tennis friends suggested he try pickleball in August of 2021, it immediately became his new obsession (displacing tennis). He rocketed from beginner to the Senior Professional level within a year, and just over two years later (in 2024) he was ranked the #1 Super Senior Pickleball Pro in the world.  This was one of his proudest moments.  He was a dedicated ambassador for the sport – offering advice, encouraging people to play and working closely with the paddle manufacturers to improve their products.

More than just an athlete, Arthur was a true renaissance man.  He could build, fix, or create anything he put his mind to. He loved to problem solve, was incredibly creative and loved to design what he called 'elegant solutions'.

He was also a talented artist – throwing pottery, creating his own classic surfboard (as art) and hoe (outrigger paddle) to embrace his Hawaiian heritage.  He was an accomplished cook – constantly tweaking or creating recipes, an avid car lover – tricking out every car he owned to make it entirely his own, and a constant inventor of new things. Just a small sampling of his creations: a special golf club for practicing precision putting, a special tennis racquet to hone his strokes, leather carrying cases when iPads were the rage, but the covers were ugly, and a reverse shock collar to protect his puppy from overly aggressive dogs at the dog park.

He developed a love of wine later in life – jumping in with both feet to a shared wine making venture that produced restaurant quality Pinot Noir (Avere, aka Labrador wine, the label adorned with his Labrador Cali) and searching for the perfect Pinot (Kosta Brown his favorite).

Despite his travels and tournaments, he always made time to come to family events with a good bottle of wine, a fully cooked prime rib roast and one of his other specialties – Caesar salad, poke or deviled eggs.

Arthur took his role as uncle very seriously – always ready with (often unsolicited) advice on topics ranging from cooking to careers to investing – to ensure they were using their own talents wisely. He was a teacher at heart, and tried to leave a legacy of learning with his family and friends.

He loved to find new ways to entertain friends, neighbors and family during holidays, never failing to make people laugh.  At Christmas, every year he'd show up with a new stunt or group activity for the family to do – push-ups, puzzles, or food eating contests.

One year at Halloween he built an entire Game of Thrones scene, including a hand-crafted replica of The Iron Throne. During Covid, he built a candy chute so he could still hand out candy from a safe distance.  In non-Covid years he made the kids answer math questions to get candy – but rewarded them with full-sized bars (even when they got the answers wrong).

Arthur will always be remembered for his dedication to his craft, endless passion, and sense of humor – always ready to laugh at himself. He was considered a loyal friend by all. He leaves a legacy of kindness, generosity, laughter, and love that will continue to inspire us all. His family and friends miss him dearly.