Agustín Araquistain

Born on September 18, 1936, in Bergara, in the Basque Country of Spain, Agustín was the son of José María Araquistain and Dominga Macazaga. When he was two, his family moved to Durango, Spain, where, from the age of seven to ten, he was an altar boy at the town church. It was that experience he believed planted the seeds that grew his faith. Eventually, his family settled in Elgoibar, the place he would always call home.

Agustín volunteered for the military in Palma de Mallorca in 1957. While stationed there, he received special permission to enter into a contract to play the sport he loved, Jai Alai. Upon completion of his near two-year military service, Papi was offered the opportunity to play Jai Alai professionally in Mexico and later in the United States. Beginning in 1961, he played at frontons in Orlando, Daytona Beach, and Melbourne, Florida. His skill and dedication to the sport culminated in his becoming a World Champion Jai Alai player.

In 1973, Agustín became a naturalized American citizen, one of the proudest moments of his life. He fully embraced his new country and was deeply proud to call himself an American. At the same time, he never lost his deep love for his Basque heritage, its traditions, or the family and homeland he left behind. He carried both with him throughout his life, always proud of where he came from and always grateful for the life he built in America.

Upon retiring from Jai Alai, Papi became the tennis pro at The Springs in Longwood, Florida, where he also began practicing massage therapy. He would go on to build his own private practice, becoming the oldest licensed massage therapist in the state of Florida. He was convinced this was his purpose, and that God had placed him on this earth as an instrument of healing, called to help others with his hands, his faith, and his love.

Agustín was passionate about music, and would often proclaim that life would be nothing without it! He loved playing poker and dominoes, power walking on the beach, tennis and soccer. A self-professed chocoholic, he found joy in life's simple pleasures. But above all else, Papi loved his family with his whole heart and soul. They were his greatest joy, his proudest achievement, and the truest reflection of everything he valued in this life. He was honest, faithful, and hardworking. He was an extraordinary father, a devoted grandfather, a cherished friend, an inspiration, and a role model whose example will live on in everyone blessed enough to have known him.

Papi was, above all else, a man of profound and intimate faith. He believed in honoring God in every action, through honesty, and through the unwavering devotion he showed to his family, his faith, and everyone he encountered. He loved deeply and without reservation. He gave of himself without hesitation. And everyone who knew him knew, without question, that they were loved by him.

Agustín is survived by his daughters, Lizette Thompson, her husband, Kirk, and Jacqueline Maddron, her husband, Kevin, and his beloved grandchildren, Delaney, Nicholas, and Grace.

A visitation will be held on Monday, August 17, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Baldwin Fairchild, 994 E. Altamonte Drive, Altamonte Springs, Florida.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, August 18, at 1:30 p.m. at Annunciation Catholic Church, 1020 Montgomery Road, Longwood, Florida.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in his memory to the Music Has Healing Power Foundation at https://www.musichashealingpower.org/in-honor-of-agustin-araquistain/