Rafael Negron

Rafael Negron died peacefully on April 22, 2013 at Stafford Hills Assisted Living Community in Plymouth, MA. Colonel Negron was a career army officer whose service to our nation spanned 3 of our nation’s wars from WWII to Vietnam. In WWII he served as an Infantry Company Commander in the 7th Army and he served as one of this nation’s first military advisors to the South Vietnamese Army in 1958. He was also one of the first army officers from Puerto Rico to receive a regular commission and command regular U.S. Army units. Upon retirement from the army he worked as a corporate lawyer in several research firms located in the Washington D.C. area. Col. Negron was also a Knight of the 4th Degree in the Knights of Columbus. He will be interred at the VA Cemetery in Bourne with his loving wife of over 60 years – Maria Antonia Negron. Colonel Negron is survived by his children: Ralph Negron of Sandwich, MA, Maria O’Connor of Silver Spring, MD, and Jim Negron of Pasadena, MD. He is also survived by seven grandchildren, and 20 great-grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 12 PM on Thursday, April 25, 2013 at Corpus Christi Catholic Church, 324 Quaker Meetinghouse Rd in East Sandwich. Burial will follow in the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to Cranberry Hospice, 36 Cordage Park Circle, Suite 326 Plymouth, MA 02360.

Eulogy for Rafael Negron

Gail and I are fortunate to have the longstanding friendship of Father Edward Healey. Years ago he gave me one of those thought provoking nuggets that makes you think about a topic for years to come. He asked me what I thought to be the greatest mystery of the Catholic Church. I responded the Trinity – the idea that there are 3 persons in one. He politely chuckled at my response and told me that it was the concept that in death there is life. As Catholics we believe that when we die, we will live on either with God or a place we want to avoid. God gives us at least a notion of this idea in nature. The falling leaves of autumn give way for new leaves that will bloom in the spring. And so Rafael Negron, like the leaves of autumn passes on to make way for the new leaves of spring – some who are present today. Rather than grieve our loss, let us celebrate a bright light high in the heavens now re-united with the brightest light in his life – his wife of 60 years and our wonderful mother , Maria Antonia Negron

There is nothing more difficult than summarizing the life of a person who is accomplished, complex, and who lives to the ripe old age of 95. Our father had a distinguished career as an army officer with military service that spanned 3 of our nation’s wars. He has many citations proving his courage and coolness under fire as well as citations and accolades for common sense and intelligent staff work. He had a great career as a corporate lawyer after retirement from the army and was well recognized for his analytical abilities. But perhaps the part of him that was most important to all of us was his human side - he was a loving husband in a marriage that lasted over 60 years and would have lasted forever had it not been terminated by the death of his wife. He was the caring father of 3, and proud grandfather of 7, as well as great grandfather of 20. We should all be as lucky to reach our 95th birthday and to lead a life as rich and vibrant as Rafael Negron. Even more remarkable is that a career Army Infantry Officer whose military service spans WW II to Vietnam was able to celebrate this many birthdays. Please join me in reflecting on this remarkable life.

On a personal note, my father was born and raised in Puerto Rico. He comes from a fairly distinguished family. His grandfather was a well-regarded politician who had been a popular mayor and a director of the governing council of San Juan, the capitol of Puerto Rico. He remains a well-known Puerto Rican poet. His father was one of the first chemical engineers to graduate from LSU and designed sugar plants in Puerto Rico as well as throughout South America that converted sugar cane to sugar. My father grew up on the sugar mills which his father designed and operated. He was also very proud of his uncle and namesake, Rafael Negron, who served as a judge on the U.S. Supreme Court as the representative from Puerto Rico. And I am proud to say was on the cover of Life Magazine. Although he was well rooted as a Catholic and proudly served as a Knight of the 4th Degree in the Knights of Columbus he was actually raised as an agnostic. It was in the early 50’s, about the time of the Korean War that my father met an army chaplain, a Jesuit, by the name of Francis X. Tierney. As the name might imply, he was a burly red-headed Irishman from the Bronx. Father Tierney baptized my father as a Catholic and provided him the book “My Way of Life” by St. Thomas Aquinas. I remember my father contemplating the content of this book long after he had been baptized. The book encourages a simple life devoid of envy for material goods as the true path to happiness. I believe that my father exemplifies this theme. He was a family oriented individual whose center of gravity was on the well-being of his family. He rarely strayed from his family, only when Army orders required him to be elsewhere, which was often. After our mother died he wrote each of his children a moving letter describing his marriage which makes my point. He told us that during the marriage ceremony, they could hear the loud laughter of children playing and dogs barking. He told us that little did he know at the time that his life would be filled with kids and pets. And I would point out that traveling around the world with 3 kids, 2 dogs, and a cat created some interesting situations for our family. I ask you to imagine the dynamics of this group boarding a ship in Hawaii, debarking in San Francisco, and then driving to Ft. Leavenworth Kansas. Crossing the Mojave Desert was real fun – no car A/C in those days.

Although the family tradition in politics and law dictated that he pursue a law degree, my father felt a strong tug toward military service. He satisfied his family’s tradition and completed law school but what really mattered to him was his commission in the Army. When WW II arrived he was at the Jungle Warfare School in Panama and anticipated that his unit would deploy to the Pacific. Instead they headed to Europe where he participated in combat operations as an infantry company commander in Italy, France, and Germany. There was an immediate affinity between him and the Army that lasted a lifetime. He obviously excelled at being a soldier, he was decorated several times for valor, earned his combat infantryman’s badge, and a regular commission – no easy task in a highly stratified Army that afforded minorities few opportunities. From the time that he returned from Europe following WW II our family life was akin to that of a gypsy family - full of travel. adventure, and excitement. Home was wherever the army decided to send us which was often – usually every 2 or 3 years. As evidence of just how often we moved, by the time I graduated from HS, my sister and I had attended 6 grammar schools and 3 different high schools. Brother Jim less so since our father retired while he was still in high school. As a family our lives could not have been richer but putting on my 20/20 hindsight goggles I can see it must have been difficult for him at times. My father was one of the first Puerto Ricans to command regular U.S. army troops. Puerto Rican soldiers at the time were assigned to the 65th Infantry Regiment. Although he will vehemently deny that there was ever any prejudice exhibited toward him, I recall when he was assigned as the Bn. XO in the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii, the Bn. Commander refused to accept him as his XO on the basis that he spoke with a foreign accent. The adjutant thus assigned him to another battalion. His reaction – this is the army and the commanding officer has the right to deny me the assignment. He expressed no anger, no remorse, and remained loyal to the army. But my mother…….that was another case. She understandably found the situation deplorable and threatened to go straight to the Commanding General to complain. Her Puerto Rican temper went into overdrive that day and I discovered that she had learned some choice army words usually reserved for Infantry Sergeants. But all’s well that ends well. My father was assigned as the XO to an exceptional battalion commander who held my father in high regard. As a career Marine officer, I owe a great deal to my father and his generation of Puerto Rican officer pioneers for getting through those choppy waters and making it possible for others, like me, to follow in their footsteps.

My father was my hero. He stood tall as a soldier and taught his children to be independent, respectful, and useful citizens. He was accomplished as a soldier, corporate lawyer, and civil rights pioneer. But his humanity, regard for the common man was the attribute which I believe made him special. I recall crossing the Mojave Desert as a young boy on our way to San Francisco. We came across a grizzled looking old man (long beard, shaggy clothes), obviously a vagrant, walking along the side of the road carrying a bundle on his back. My father quickly stopped the car and gave the man money. I will never forget that merciful act and countless others underscoring my father’s empathy and countless good deeds. In the last years as he faded, and his memory banks got cloudier, he never forgot that I had grandchildren that I would sometimes bring for visits and when not present he would always ask – where are the kids? The dementia that turned his fine analytical mind to mush could not erase his self -identity as a family member who loved being with his family.

By now I am certain that my father has passed through the Pearly Gates of heaven, which we all know are actually guarded by United States Marines. Knowing he is the father of a Marine, the guards have certainly waved him in. Rejoice because my sister, brother and I would like to believe that he has been re-united with the most important part of his life – his wife Marian. When you look at the sky tonight I am certain that the stars will shine a little brighter.

Thank you for sharing your time with our family today. May god bless Rafael Negron.