Isaac Quinones

Isaac Quiñones was born on July 15, 1941, to Isaias and Adelina Quiñones at Harlem Hospital in New York. He was an only child but grew up surrounded by many loving cousins and friends. He often talked about his childhood and how he loved playing in the streets and walking over the Macombs Dam Bridge to Yankee Stadium. Growing up in the 50’s, he felt as “cool” as most of the kids from that era and took up smoking at the young age of 12. When he started working at the corner market, he decided that making money was more important than school, so he dropped out of school. When he was 22, he decided to visit his mom, who had moved back to Puerto Rico. While in Puerto Rico, he received a call from a neighbor in New York, informing him that the FBI was looking for him for dodging the draft, which he was unaware that he was being drafted. He immediately returned to NYC and signed up for the US Army in December 1963.  Before joining the military, he returned to Puerto Rico to marry his love, Carmen Margarita Torres, a young school teacher that he had met and fell in love with while visiting his mom in Orocovis, Puerto Rico. Isaac and Carmen married on July 1, 1964. Together they would embark on a journey that would last 59 years.

In 1965, they were stationed in Ft. Hood, Texas and their first child, Isaac Jr. was born. As a young military family, they were relocated to different areas of the US, such as Alaska, California, New York, South Carolina, Puerto Rico, again in Texas, and Florida. By the time they settled in Orange Park, Florida, they had 2 more children, Leslie and Isa Marie.

While serving in the Army, Isaac received numerous honors and commendations. He was honored with the Bronze Star Medal for his 2 tours in Vietnam. He was selected by US Army Recruiting Command as ‘Army Recruiter’ in 1973. He loved to be an Army Recruiter and he received many commendations and awards for over exceeding his quotas. In 1976, he received honors for being the top recruiter in the Southeast Region of the United States, to include Puerto Rico. Due to a shortage of Army nurses, his leadership in 1978 recommended Isaac to become an Army Nurse Recruiter and again he over exceeded his quotas and continued to receive many accolades for his work. In 1977, he achieved the Gold Recruiter Badge and later further achieved the 3 gold sapphire stars. In 1978, he was awarded the coveted Army Recruiter Ring. The quest for the ring takes the Army recruiter through eight levels of proficiency that test and prove his or her ability and skill in recruiting. The ring is not easily won; when an Army recruiter earns the Army Recruiter ring, he or she is forever marked as one of the finest members of the Army's recruiting team. Shortly after in 1983, he became Recruiting Station Commander while in Jacksonville Florida.

When he retired from the military in 1985, he completed his associate degree and worked in the insurance field and trucking industry. In 1995, Isaac and Carmen moved to Pembroke Pines, FL where they both retired. He was a man who told you exactly what he thought, no frills and no “pelo en la lengua”.  As he got older, he just liked staying home and watching football &  movies in his garage.  His kids and grandkids affectionately called him “grumpy”, but Grumpy Abuelo was loved for who he was: a hard working, proud husband, father, son, cousin, nephew who loved his family. He is survived by his 3 children, Les, Isa, Isaac Jr. and his wife Melinda, grandchildren Rosali, Cherish, Devyn, Isaac Gabriel, Ivan, and Isaius, and numerous cousins.

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