Dr. Arturo Nicolás Jiménez-Vera

Arturo Nicolás Jiménez-Vera, 95, passed away peacefully on March 25th of 2024 at 11:00 pm in his residence in San Diego, California. Weeks prior to his passing, Arturo was prayed for and accompanied by caring friends.

Arturo was born in Santiago, Chile on the cold morning of July 13, 1928, at 4:00 am, to Oscar Jiménez and Teresa Vera, into a prominent family. As the youngest of three, he was loved like a son by his Tio Pedro and Tia Anita. He attended a private German immersion language school and graduated from university with a degree in engineering. Witnessing the social injustice in his country in the mid-1950s, Arturo decided to emigrate to the USA. He lived in Florida, Colorado, northern California, Arizona, and then southern California.

In a response to a novena made one December in the 1960s to the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception, Arturo received a divine inspiration to travel to San Giovanni Rotondo to meet the Capuchin Friar Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, volunteer there for three months, and became his spiritual son. The time spent there was one of Arturo’s most treasured memories. Upon returning to the USA, he started working on his doctorate in Spanish Literature at Arizona State University in Tempe, where he met the love of his life, Nancy, in 1966. They united in matrimony on June 3rd, 1970, and dropped their anchor in San Diego. Between the two of them they were gifted in foreign languages like Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, and Latin, which they used to translate many books and journals into English. Arturo was a professor of Spanish literature at San Diego State University from 1970 until he retired in 1992 and was designated a professor emeritus. In 1987 he was initiated to the Phi Beta Kappa Society. He also was a member of the Asociación Internacional de Hispanistas. On a trip to Italy in 1974 with Nancy, they both became Franciscan Third Order Lay People. Arturo Adopted the name of Guadalupe Pio. From then on, he lived by the lifestyle of the order with humility, poverty and chastity. He dedicated the rest of his life to raising funds to support the hospital founded by Saint Padre Pio, Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza.

The daily visits to Nancy when she was sick grew in Arturo a strong compassion for the sick. He learned from St. Padre Pio that God is closer to them. He volunteered as an extraordinary eucharist minister to the homebound. At a notice of some acquaintance being sick or dying in a home, a hospital, or a nursing home, he didn’t hesitate to visit them, pray with them, and comfort them with words that only he knew how to convey the mercy and love of God.

From the décor in Arturo’s house, one can sense peace and holy presence. A brief interaction with him could help anyone from any form of Christianity become closer to God. Admired by people of all ages, he shined the light of Christ with love and compassion. We were truly blessed that God allowed him to grace us with his presence for nearly a century.

Funeral mass will be held at St Therese Parish at 6400 Saint Therese Way, San Diego on April 26, 2024, at noon with viewing and prayers from 10:30 am. Interment will follow at 2:30 pm at Holy Cross Cemetery.

Thank you for joining us.

In lieu of flowers, you may wish to make a contribution to Fondazione Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza in Italy, one of Arturo’s favorite causes. Our friends based in the United States can do so in a tax-deductible way through Casa Sollievo Hospital Fund at Myriad USA, a U.S. 501(c)(3) public charity.

https://www.every.org/fondazione-di-religione-e-di-culto-casa-sollievo-della-sofferenza-opera-di-san-pio-da-pietrelcina/f/support-to-padre-pios