Obituary of Juan Perez

Juan Perez passed away after a brief illness on Tuesday, April 7, 2015. The devoted husband of 53 years to Maria Luisa (Iglesias) he was 84 years old. Juan was born, raised and educated in Cuba. He was the son of the late Juan and Maria. Juan and his wife Maria came to the United States in 1965 and settled in Massachusetts. They raised their daughter Alicia in Arlington and then moved to Burlington to be with Alicia and her family in 2006. Juan had a long and distinguished career working as a Machine Operator at Honeywell in Brighton for over 30 years. Juan and Maria enjoyed traveling. They owned a home in Pembroke Pines, Florida so they could be close to their families. They visited there often for extended periods of time. Juan and Maria also enjoyed taking cruises to the Caribbean and the Panama Canal. They also loved to go dancing and they were always the first ones on the dance floor. Juan was a very caring man and made daily visits to the Nursing Home to visit Maria where he would stay for hours on end. He had a close relationship with his son-in-law Tim and the morning breakfasts together at Jimmy’s was something he looked forward to. His daughter Alicia and grandchildren where the center of his life. Juan was blessed to see his grandchildren grow into adulthood and was proud of all their accomplishments. Juan was the beloved husband of 53 years of Maria Luisa (Iglesias). He was the loving “Papi” of Alicia Brown & her husband Tim of Burlington. Proud “Abu” of Matthew, Christopher & Kelly Brown. Twin Brother of Gloria Romero & her husband Luciano of FL, Benita Campos of Waltham and the late Jose Fernandez. Also survived by many nieces and nephews. Funeral from the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., BURLINGTON (Exit 34 off Rt. 128, Woburn side) on Saturday April 11 at 9 a.m. Followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Margaret’s Church, 111 Winn St., Burlington at 10 a.m. Visiting hours Friday 5-8 p.m. Interment in Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge. Memorials in Juan’s name may be made to the Life Care Center of Billerica, Activity Fund, 80 Boston Road, Billerica, MA 01821. Family Remembrance by Matthew Hello Everyone, I want to thank you all for coming today and being with us. Juan Perez, Chacho, Abu, or however you knew him by, was the greatest husband, brother, uncle, friend, father, and grandfather anyone could ask for. He was a smart man, especially for some one who spoke very little english. Although not a lot of people understood what he was saying, he had a way of communicating with people so that they would instantly know what he was talking about. He was a regular at about a hundred places. At jimmy’s in Burlington, he would get the same breakfast every time he went there: 1 banana, 1 pancake, 1 egg, toast and bacon. His usual waitress knew his order right away, and so did the owner. Sometimes, they would be out, so the owner wrote down his order on the wall of the restaurant to let the other waitresses know what he wanted. Everyone knew what he was saying; whether you spoke spanish or not. He used that to his advantage too though. At Macy’s, he would return things, literally, a year later. The “Macy’s Ladies” would have a really tough time trying to figure out what he was saying (which is all part of the plan), and eventually give in and let him return whatever he was trying to return - every time. He would visit my grandmother at the nursing home every day. Every one there knew him and loved him and knew he was there, because of the air freshener he would spray in the room. He really appreciated everything every one did there for Ata - from the nurses, to the activities people, to the kitchen staff, to the house keeping. He knew they really took good care of her. I’m not sure I know many people who can greet their grandfather with a certain hand gesture, call him a certain word (that I can’t repeat here but most of you know) before going to hug and kiss him. Abu was the funniest guy I knew. It’s not like he was trying to be funny by cracking jokes and being goofy - he was just hilarious. His expressions and carefully chosen words crack me up every time I think about it. I think it was his brutal honesty or bravery of saying whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. One story that always cracks me up is how we all would go to Burger King, and he would always order “fries without sal”, just so he could get fresh and hot french fries. He would then go straight for the salt and just pour a ton on his right-out-the-oven fries, while laughing. There are hundreds of stories that I want to tell so badly here, but I’m pretty sure the priest would instantly kick me out. And if Abu was here, he’d give me a big cocotaso. Chris, Kelly and I were, and are, very lucky. There aren’t a lot of people who grow up getting to know and to be with their grandparents. That number is even smaller when you’re talking about grandparents that practically raised them for years of their lives. We all were very fortunate to know and love Juan, Chacho, Abu for as long as we all did. We’re lucky that we have the best parents any one could ask for. Mom and Dad - you guys are our heroes. What you’ve done over the years, taking care of Ata and Abu, showing so much love and care for them, is so inspiring and shapes us to who we are today. Thank you for everything you do, and we love you. It’s OK to be sad today, for sure it is. But later today, let’s share stories about the ridiculous and hilarious things Abu said and did. Tell each other the first time he taught you a swear word (for me it was when I was 8). Tell each other about the person he gave a hilarious nickname to, and who he never knew their real name - just referred to them as…well, I don’t want to give any away here. Laugh today and enjoy remembering him, because that’s what he wants, and that’s who he was. I know he’s laughing up there, and probably giving me the finger right now. Thank you all.