Jose Manuel Cruz

Jose was born December 11, 1962 in San Juan, Puerto Rico and raised in Cary, NC. He was a graduate of Cary High School. Jose worked the past 11 years for Gregory Poole in Raleigh, NC in the Credit and Finance Department.

In spite of this debilitating disease, Jose felt the need to have a career and to be gainfully employed. Despite the severe pain and difficulty to even walk, Jose was actually getting dressed for work the morning he went to see the Lord.

Jose’s interests included spending time chatting with his friends on the computer and in person when possible. Some of his many interests growing up included: parachuting, skiing, football and later marksmanship. As a young man in Germany, he loved participating in walkathons, where he won many medals for his miles traveled and was a Boy Scout. Jose always felt a connection with nature and loved spending time exploring in the forests of Germany. He also loved to read and watch his favorite television shows. Although Jose was taken early, he strived to live a full life while here on earth.

He was preceded in death by his father, Sigifredo Cruz-Vega.

Jose is survived by his mother, Ruth N. Cruz of Cary; daughter, Pachence Johnson of Wake Forest and grandchildren Travis, Kameron, Elisha and Serenitie. Brothers and sisters-in-law; Victor and Kristin of Cary, Sig and Linda of Concord, Rick and Mae of Knightdale, Manuel and Lisa of Mt Holly; sisters and brothers-in-law Ruth and Ray Nichols of Cary and Marta and Felipe Maldonado of Miami, FL. Nieces, Corey and Melissa and nephews, Victor Martin, Joseph Sigifredo and Gabriel.

A memorial service will be held at 1:00 pm Saturday, January 14, 2012 at Genesis United Methodist Church, 850 High House Rd, Cary, NC 27513. The family will receive friends immediately following the service.

Memorials may be made to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, PO Box 78960, Phoenix, AZ 85062-8960, www.mda.org

Condolences may be sent to www.BrownWynneCary.com