Israel Colina

COLINA, Israel, 95, passed away on December 6, 2019 at St. Joseph Hospital in Tampa, FL. Born in Pedro Betancourt, Cuba, he moved to the US in 1933. He was employed by the Columbia Restaurant for many years where he went up the ranks from bus boy to General Manager of two locations: Ybor and Orlando. After the Columbia Restaurant he worked as an HVAC Operator at Hillsborough Community College where he later retired from. Israel was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Tampa and served in the United States Army. In his free time he enjoyed gardening and family functions. He was preceded in death by his parents Felipe Ramon Colina and Ana Rosa Concepcion as well as 5 brothers and 4 sisters. Israel is survived by his wife Zenaida M. Sarmiento; daughters: Rosemary Colina Sarmiento and Luis E Sarmiento (son in law) and Mary Ellen Colina Chacon and Roland A Chacon (son in law); 4 grandchildren Marco E. Sarmiento, Jacqui Lin Sarmiento, Roland “AJ” Chacon, and Angelica L. Chacon. A visitation will take place on Sunday, December 15, 2019 from 5 to 8PM at Gonzalez Funeral Home. Funeral services will then be held on Monday, December 16, 2019 at 10AM at the funeral home with entombment to follow at Hillsboro Memorial Gardens in Brandon, FL. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Israel’s name to either the American Heart Association or the American Cancer Society.