Juan Valdez Matias

Juan Valdez Matias was born in Philadelphia, PA on April 23, 1956. He was first named Johnny Angel. His family still call him John or Uncle John. He is survived by brother, Carlos Matias, and his 5 sons along with their mother Vickie and sister, Delores Martin (Scott) and their children.

Juan attended Catholic school. He was baptized at age 11. He did live in an orphanage for a period of time when his parents were not able to care for the children.

Growing up in South Philly was not easy. Money was always tight. Juan’s first job was at Green’s Drugs in the neighborhood. Juan was cleaning and stocking the store. His boss, Mr. Kauffman, trusted him and soon taught him to run the cash register.

Juan joined the Army when he was 25. He served 2 years and then several years in the Army Reserve. By the early nineties, he moved to Georgia. He was struggling with alcoholism. He was able to get sober and found his recovery through Life Recovery. The local faith-based program is called Celebrate Life.

He met a guy that said Golden Isles Marina was looking for a maintenance man to keep the facilities clean and neat. Juan got that job in 1994 and worked for the marina for 13 years. He was appreciated for his thorough work and quality management of the landscaping. The staff enjoyed working with him and his great sense of humor kept everyone smiling.

He later worked for Liberty Roll Offs in Brunswick. He was able to manage several tasks and earned the trust of the owners and managers. While he was working there, his boss called him over to show what he had just found. A tiny new born puppy that was smaller than his hand. Juan took that baby home and taught her to eat out of his hand. Juan named her Two Bits. They bonded and he always called her his daughter. She is now 6 years old and 92 pounds. She is waiting for her new forever home. One of Juan’s last wishes was for Two Bits to be wanted and loved by a new owner.

Juan volunteered at the Hello Goodbuy thrift store in Brunswick after he retired. He rode the truck with the driver to pick up furniture donations. Juan appreciated the mission of the store and wanted to help whenever he felt well enough. He suffered with chronic bronchitis and sinus infections. Later his back was hurting so badly that he could not manage the pain.

He was known and loved for his way of making all of his friends feel wanted and special. Many of us fondly remember the call or text of “YO, HOW U DOING?”. You knew you were loved and cared about from his faithful ways of staying in touch. He will be missed. He passed away on November 2, 2022.

We celebrate his life on Saturday, December 10, at 11 a.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church downtown Brunswick with a memorial service followed by a reception at Selden Park. Please come to share your stories of your brother and friend, Juan Matias.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.edomillerandsons.com for the Matias family.