Obituary of Juan Vargas

Juan Vargas was born in Ciales, Puerto Rico, in 1929, in the country. He was the fourth of six brothers and two sisters. He lost his mother at the tender age of 5. He lost his father when he was seven years of age. However, his parents embedded him with a strong sense of faith. This faith in God remained with him throughout his life. He went to live with his mother's cousin for 8 years. At the age of 15 he began working. He held various jobs; two of them were shining shoes and selling fruit. His goal was to become independent and self sufficient, not to have to depend on anyone for help. Unfortunately, he was unable to pursue a formal education, in part because he didn't have the guidance that he needed. He was also very strong-willed and stubborn. As a young man he continued working odd jobs. He also learned how to cut hair. He didn't go to school for this training. So we are not about to say he was a good barber. His goal was to save money so he could leave Puerto Rico since he didn't see any opportunities for himself there. He never liked living in the country, so farming was out of the question. He loved the city. At the age of 21 he went to New York City to live with a family friend. New York City became home to him. He loved the city life: the night life, the dancing and the parties. He especially liked the opportunities to do all kinds of jobs. He always happened to be at the right place when there were job openings. He began by going to school and getting a license as a barber. He also learned English at this time. Later on he joined the merchant marine and one of his duties was cutting hair. He also tried his hand at cooking and baking. He turned out to be quite good at both. As a merchant marine, he travelled all over the world. He married at the age of 23. Unfortunately, his first marriage and two subsequent ones were not successful. After the merchant marine, he worked as a maintenance worker until he retired. Upon retirement, he decided to visit his cousin who was living in Puerto Rico. It was during this trip that he said he was blessed because he met Benedicta Pagan, who he said was the love of his life. She was a widow with 4 adult children. She wanted to move to Florida to be near her children. So they moved to Florida and they were married. They loved their life at Century Village and all their close friends and neighbors. Juan and Benedicta had a very good marriage filled with love, respect, companionship, and understanding. Together they laughed, sang, danced, cooked, played a serious game of dominos and most importantly, prayed together. His nieces, Sonia and Olga and his nephew, Luis, will miss his love and support. His adult stepchildren, Reyna, Arturo, Pilar and Laura, and their children, love him and thank him for being a great stepfather, and for being a loving husband to their mother. Juan's life can be summed up with a reference from 2 Timothy 4:7. Juan "fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith." God bless you, Juan.