Carlos Francisco Quiros

      The Life of Carlos Quirós Raffo

Carlos Francisco Quirós was born in 1946 in Lima, Peru, to Carlos Salinas Quirós and Hilda Raffo, and he was the second of five children. He was raised mostly in Lima, Peru and in Buenos Aires, Argentina, As a quiet and studious young man, he met the love of his life, Ana Raquel Velando, a vivacious and beautiful “gringa,” in 1965.

Soon after becoming engaged Carlos was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma. Being the person he was, he did not think it fair for his fiancée to marry someone with a potentially terminal cancer. However, Ana Raquel, being the woman that she is, thought the opposite, and they were married on March 15th, 1970. With his new bride at his side, Carlos fought and beat that cancer.

He received his Bachelor of Sciences Degree in Agricultural Sciences  at the Universidad Nacional Agraria in Lima Peru in 1968. They moved to Dover, New Hampshire later that year.  Carlos obtained his Master’s Degree from the University of New Hampshire in 1972 and the year prior welcomed their first child, Carlos “Tato” Martin Quirós on December 2nd 1971.

To further his academic endeavors Carlos and his family moved to Davis, California, to pursue a doctorate. While living in Davis, their second child, César Samuel Quirós, was born on January 13, 1975. Later that year, Carlos earned his PhD in Genetics from UC Davis under the mentorship of renowned plant geneticist Dr. Charles Rick, who became not only a mentor but also a close friend. Carlos's professional journey began in Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico, where he worked as a geneticist for the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agricolas from 1976 to 1977.  He then accepted a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec, Canada and moved with his family again to a new country.  The following year they moved to Edmonton where Carlos worked as a research assistant at the University of Alberta. The long cold winters did not quite agree with Carlos and Raquel  and the song, ”California Dreaming” was played many times over until that dream finally came true.

In 1981, the Quiros family moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, where Carlos joined a biotech company called the International Plant Research Institute (IPRI) as a research associate until its closure in 1983. Serendipitously, a faculty position at his alma mater, University of California, Davis became available, allowing Carlos to continue his academic and professional career.

Davis became their home base after 11 years of moving around North America. Finally settled, Raquel earned her associate's degree and served as a prenatal advisor at the Davis Community Clinic, and Tato and César graduated from Davis High School. During his time at UC Davis, Carlos achieved remarkable success, quickly becoming a tenured professor, publishing dozens of papers, mentoring countless graduate students, and teaching many undergraduate students, including his future daughter-in-law, Karen, before her and César started dating. 

While working for UC Davis, Carlos and his family spent several sabbaticals in Perpignan, France, where he taught as a visiting professor and led research projects. He collaborated with scientists from all over the world in Europe, South America and Asia.  They embraced the Davis community, making many friends and hosting numerous students. They remained in Davis until his retirement in 2011. 

In his professional life as plant geneticist, Carlos wrote 90 publications, his work was cited over 5000 times, was the editor of several journals, and received countless awards, including a Fulbright Senior Scholarship Award.  Some notable achievements of him and his team were isolating genes that control the production of nutrients beneficial for human health in crops such as broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower. He bred celery strains that improved disease resistance, and bred the delicious potato cultivar called “Inca Gold”. His colleagues and students saw Carlos as a friendly and caring instructor who mentored many young plant geneticists who went on to careers in academia or the private sector.

In 2007, Carlos and Raquel became grandparents to Santiago, followed by Tomas in 2009 and then Lucas and Isabel both a day apart in 2012.  With their kids and grandkids living in San Diego, Carlos and Raquel moved south to embark on a new chapter of their lives. They cherished their integral role in their grandchildren’s lives daily and even organized, “grandparent weeks” during the summer filled with a trips to the zoo, the science center, hiking Torrey pines, and collecting shells from the beaches. Carlos, ever the scientist, shared his love of studying insects by making sure to teach his grandkids how to use a microscope properly and how to catch butterflies with a net.  

Soon after moving to San Diego Carlos found a new passion; Pickle ball.  He and Raquel joined the San Diego Tennis and Racquet Club, where Carlos became an enthusiast of the game, inviting Raquel, his daughter-in-law, Gaby and others to join in the fun.  They quickly formed friendships with fellow pickle ballers and built their own community.   He was known for his ambidextrous paddle skills and being an expert “lob-ster” and would teach others how to perfect his signature shot.

In early January 2025, Carlos was diagnosed with an aggressive lung cancer. Despite his courage in battling the disease and his strong will to live, he passed away peacefully on February 3rd, 2025, surrounded by family and listening to his favorite music.

Carlos Francisco Quirós will be remembered as a gentle, humble, and intelligent individual—a devoted husband, father, Papapa/Tata, and friend. His impact on countless lives around the world through his research and friendship is a testament to the remarkable human being he was. He left us too early, and we miss him intensely. We will strive to live in ways that would make him proud. His presence is deeply felt in everything we do, and we commit to honoring his memory by living life to its fullest. He is in our hearts forever.