Abraham Bartolomes Flores-Carrasquillo passed from this life on April 9, 2024. He was preceded in death by his parents, Ignacio and Frutuosa Flores, a granddaughter, Elena Compton Smith, a sister, Gloria Flores Cotto, a niece, Maritza and a special friend, Juanita Price.
Abe, as his friends and family knew him, was born in 1923, a year of marvelous inventions. The first electric shaver, the electric blender, and the self-winding wristwatch debuted that year. Patents for the first bulldozer, the first tri-color traffic light, the instant camera and the cotton swab were filed. How many wondrous things Abe saw in his 100 years here on Earth!
Abe traveled from his home in Caguas, Puerto Rico, to attend college at Stetson University in Deland, Florida. He majored in business, and his first job post-graduation was stacking newly manufactured hats at the Stetson Hat Company in New York City.
Abe was a World War II veteran and served in a support position in 1943. Later on, he served as a civilian with the Red Cross in Vietnam. He also worked as a civilian contractor at Eglin Air Force Base near Pensacola, Florida.
Abe worked for a number of years for Diesel Recon/Cummins where he was a purchasing agent. As were many men of his era, Abe was a jack-of-many-trades including plumbing, carpentry, auto repair, household appliance repair, air conditioning and heating installation/repair and all-around household maintenance. He spent a number of years working as a repair man for Memphis area apartment developments.
Abe enjoyed movies, and in his later years, preferred to watch vintage Western movies with such stars as John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Clint Eastwood, Jimmy Stewart and others. He liked to listen to classical music and soundtracks from movies such as Camelot.
Abe loved visits from his family and friends, who are left to mourn his passing. He is survived by three daughters-- Linda Flores (Rob Pressman), Tina Campbell (Scott) and Dana Crotwell--and two sons, Richard Flores (Shirley) and Michael Flores (Karen). Abe also leaves 10 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren to treasure his memory. He is also survived by a number of friends who meant a great deal to him and whose company brought him great joy.
A gathering of family and friends will be held Thursday, April 25, 2024, from 11 am-1 pm at Memphis Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens, 3700 N Germantown Road, Bartlett, TN 38122, followed by a committal at 2 pm at the West Tennessee Veterans’ Cemetery, 4000 Forrest Hill Irene Road, Memphis TN 38125.
