Jose Lopez's Obituary
Jose “Pepe” Lopez, 97, of Dunedin, FL went to be with his heavenly Father on October 24, 2018. He died peacefully with his loved ones at his side.
Pepe was born in Matanzas, Cuba on February 3, 1921. He was sent to Spain at the age of 5 to live with relatives due to his parents limited finances. He had no formal education while in Spain. He tended sheep from dawn to dusk with his two faithful dogs. It was a very difficult childhood.
At the age of 16, he returned to Cuba, and entered the 2nd grade. He progressed rapidly and enrolled in Law School at the University of Havana, where his classmate was Fidel Castro. Pepe had to work days and could only attend night school. This forced him to change into the school of business. Jose proudly graduated from the University of Havana, with an accounting degree .
He met Isabel Ramos, also a CPA, and married on September 3, 1955. Pepe and Isabel had two children Maribel and Joe. In 1961, they fled Castro’s regime and immigrated to New York City. They worked as accountants for two years before moving to Tarpon Springs, FL. In 1972, they purchased a home in Dunedin, Florida. Pepe became CEO of a large international transport conglomerate in St. Petersburg, FL. The company moved their headquarters to California. Pepe did not want to relocate his family, so he commuted from Los Angeles for 10 years. In 1982, he retired, and he and Isabel traveled extensively.
He was a man of devout faith and loved the United States for the opportunities it provided him. Pepe became a proud US citizen in 1969. His pride and joy were his grandsons, Carson and Drake.
He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Isabel, in 2006 and his brother Manolo, in 1992.
He is survived by his son, Joe, and his daughter, Maribel and her husband David, grandsons Carson and Drake.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Suncoast Hospice Foundation, 7771 Roosevelt Blvd, Clearwater, FL, 33760: WWW.Suncoasthospicefoundation.org: or via phone at (727) 467-7423
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