Jose Vidal Rodriguez

José Vidal Rodríguez de Juan (86) originally from Puerto Rico, lived during the last 3 years in Weston, Florida, and peacefully passed away on October 7, 2023, at 8:30 AM surrounded by his son Vidal, his daughter Linda, and his wife Maria.

José, fondly known as JV, was born to Vidal Rodríguez Casas and Isabel de Juan, on April 27, 1937, in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. He began his bachelor’s degree in social sciences at the University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras but shortly afterwards joined the US Air Force and served in Europe while stationed at Mildenhall Air Force in Mildenhall, United Kingdom.

While visiting London, he met his future wife, Maria Romilda Guglielmoni Durli, whom he married in 1958. In 1960 his first son was born, Vidal Rodríguez. As a young father, he took his family for long drives in England in their Hillman Minx and traveled with them to Italy to visit his wife’s family. After he moved back to Puerto Rico with his family, his daughter Linda was born in 1962.

While living in Puerto Rico, he completed his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and worked for Eastern Airlines as a sales representative. As head of a family now, he took them back and forth to Europe for long summer stays. Often his nieces and nephews joined his family and traveled with them to locations like Disney in Florida. Above all, José loved to travel and took his family on many trips to far off places like Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador, Amazon River, and Iguazu Falls in Brazil. He also traveled through Argentina, Mexico, up to Machu Pichu in Peru and to Japan.

As he loved to travel and have adventures, he also began taking sailing lessons and learning how to build sailboats. In the 1980’s he purchased a classic 28-foot O’Day named Elysium. For many years he kept this vessel all shipshape and anchored at the Nautical Club in the Boquerón Bay, on the west coast of Puerto Rico where he formed part of the board of directors and helped to organize regattas. He loved to have his children and wife go sailing with him and later his grandsons, Vidal, and Francis as well as his beloved nephews.

José was always there for all his immediate and extended family, whether he was helping them fix a broken door or drive to an event or cheering them on at their tennis or basketball games.

José is survived by his wife Maria, his son and daughter, Vidal and Linda, and their wife and husband, Kelli and Wolfgang. He is also survived by his grandsons, Vidal V. and Francis, and his great grandson Matteo Vidal and his two sisters, Sara and Carmin.

José’s remains will be cremated and his funeral service will be held later in the year when all his family and friends have been informed of his passing.