John Victor Lopez-Ona

John (Johnny) Lopez-Oña passed away peacefully on May 27, 2025, at the age of 98. Born in Havana, Cuba, on March 10, 1927, to the late Juan Lopez Silvero y Oña and Caridad Morales y Pedroso. Johnny is survived by his children: Maria, John (Jackie Knowlton), Anthony (Kim Fischer), and Cristina (Paul Kovarick); his grandchildren: Emilia, Johnny, Mariana, Claudia, Gabriella, Marissa, Anna, Lauren, and Casey; his sister, Silvia Rojas of Key Biscayne, FL and numerous nieces and nephews who adored him. He was predeceased by his loving wife of almost 70 years, Fifi, and his sisters, Maria Teresa and Ofelia.

Johnny attended El Colegio de La Salle in Havana, where he was a gifted student and a champion swimmer. After graduating from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1949, with a degree in chemical engineering, he returned to Cuba joining his father at the family’s sugar mill, Central Santa Lutgarda. In 1954, he married Fifi, and they began a family. Following Castro’s takeover in 1959, he and Fifi were forced to leave behind their home, their country, and Johnny’s flourishing career. Eventually, in Villanova, PA, they settled into a welcoming community that supported them as Johnny worked tirelessly to create a new life. In his later years, he happily reunited with his extended family in South Florida, reviving a life filled with family, sugarcane fields, and days at the beach.

When Johnny left Cuba, he left behind not just a country but a part of himself, creating a void in his heart. He documented his cherished memories of Cuban life for his extended family, vividly recounting stories of the sugar mill, lively parties at the Havana Yacht Club, and the Caribbean-blue waters of Varadero, where close-knit circles of uncles, aunts, and cousins spent hours waterskiing or fishing from the yacht, Nereida. His stories are archived in the University of Miami’s Cuban Heritage Collection.

Throughout his life, Johnny made notable contributions to the sugar industry particularly through his involvement with Sugar Industry Technologists Inc. (SIT), a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing sugar refining technologies. In 1976 and 1980, he received the George and Eleanora Meade Award for papers presented at the SIT technical meetings. In 1980, he was voted president of the SIT, and in 1982, he was awarded the SIT Crystal Award for his significant contributions to sugar refining innovation.

Johnny will be especially remembered as someone who was deeply grounded in his faith in God. He served quietly and humbly, guided by a belief that true kindness and compassion require no recognition. His acts of service were an expression of his devotion to God, offered as a living testament to his faith. Johnny will be missed by all who had the honor to know him.

The family thanks the staffs at Daylesford Crossing and Paoli Hospital for the care and comfort they provided Johnny over the years and in his final days.

Friends and family are invited to gather in celebration of Johnny’s life on Saturday, August 23, 2025, at St. Norbert Church, 6 Greenlawn Rd, Paoli, PA. Visitation will start at 10:00am followed by a Funeral Mass at 11:00am.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be made in his memory to: New Hope Charities

https://newhopecharities.org/donate/ The Catholic Medical Mission Board https://cmmb.org/