Jose Velez

- In Loving Memory –

Jose "Pito" Velez

On August 6, 1933 in Guanica, Puerto Rico, Jose Velez was born to Amador Velez and Juanita Sanchez. At the age of eighteen, he made the decision to leave the rural lands of Puerto Rico, by himself, for the big city lights of the Windy City. There he eventually became a truck driver/distributor, a career he continued until he retired.

He laid down roots in Chicago and at the age of thirty, had his first of five children with his first wife. At the age of forty, Pito worked with a single mother of five children that he eventually married and helped raise her children as his own. The couple had one child together, making him the father to eleven children! Pito and his wife Raquel, moved to Florida after retiring in 1997, where he resided for the remainder of his life.

Pito enjoyed taking long drives, tinkering with his cars, apple picking, vacationing in Indiana Beach, watching wrestling, playing his guitar, studying the bible, and spending time with his family.

Jose Velez passed away peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, on July 28, 2017. He is survived by sisters, ten children, twenty-eight grandchildren, forty-two great grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents, brothers, sisters, daughter, grandson, and beloved wife, Raquel. We will be celebrating Pito's life on Wednesday, August 2, 2017 at Newcomer Funeral Home in Longwood, FL.