Adriano (Adrian) Cedeño was born in Guayanilla, Puerto Rico, to Carmen Maria Cedeño on December 28, 1918. He spent his early life with his uncle, Luis and cousin (also Luis) on a sugar plantation in Guayanilla. They taught him to ride a bike, cause mischief, and, most importantly, play baseball. Baseball was his first love and he spent hours making his own baseballs and playing with anyone who would join him. With guidance from a team who played nearby, he became a strong player and a much stronger pitcher. When he moved to New York in 1934, he joined an amateur adult team, pitching against the likes of the infamous House of David team and earning himself quite a reputation. His third pitch, a slider, was so reliable he claimed he could walk off the mound as soon as it left his hand. Still a teenager, he was invited to train with the New York Giants but his mother insisted he was too young.
Shortly after this disappointment, he was detoured on his way to the park to play ball with his friends. Another friend insisted they make a quick detour to a birthday party. Adrian initially declined the invitation but was persuaded to go. He discovered the host was an old friend from Guayanilla, but more intriguing was the lovely and shy young woman sitting on the couch in the back of the room. When he returned home he told his mother he had met the woman he was going to marry. He was right, and he and the young woman, Blanca Gil de Rubio, married in 1942.
Recruited by both the Army and Air Force for his impressive pitching arm, Adrian agreed to join the Air Force and served honorably throughout World War II. Unfortunately, his arm was injured while pitching a double header for the Air Force team, but he was still able to do his work servicing aircraft throughout the Pacific. He was stationed in the Philippines and Japan and told stories about visiting the crater at Hiroshima, but as soon as the war ended he returned home to begin a family.
Back in New York Adrian and Blanca had their first child, Arleen, in 1946 and their second, Douglas, in 1949. Adrian drove a city bus and supported Blanca as she worked her way through the ranks of the New York City Housing Authority. His support and devotion were admirable, unwavering and well ahead of his time; he was not afraid to watch her career grow and he celebrated her achievements throughout his life. At no point in his later years was he able to talk about himself without steering the conversation back to how much he admired her.
Through their work and connections in New York, Adrian and Blanca dined with Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente, met with President Jimmy Carter, and settled in a home two houses down from the Cuomo family. One of his favorite stories was about catching little Christopher Cuomo stealing the caps to the air tubes on his bicycle tires. When Adrian asked why he was doing that, Christopher looked up innocently and replied, “Because I needed them more than you did.” When he would tell the story, Adrian would shake his head and mutter, “The shoemaker.”
At some point every child (or childlike adult) who knew Adrian received the same smile, head shake, and mock insult: “You shoemaker.” When pressed for any explanation regarding his comment, his answer was always the same, “Because of the shoemaker and the elves,” and many recipients walked away scratching their heads in confusion.
In 1986 Blanca retired from the Housing Authority and the two of them moved from New York to Florida. Adrian had retired long before that and went on to receive a city pension for 53 years. They were blessed with two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. They spent their retirement traveling around the world, settling permanently at home only after Blanca developed Alzheimer's.
Any baseball fan who watched a game with Adrian can tell you just how impressive and all-encompassing his love of baseball was. He watched every game he could all season long. Watching a game with him was amazing; he would appear to be asleep as a batter approached the plate, but then he would announce that at the last at-bat the batter struck out. “Watch,” he would say, “he’s going to get off-speed pitches on the outside of the plate because he can’t hit them.” Sure enough, that is exactly what would happen. As the next batter approached he would say, “Watch, this one will strike out on a high fastball.” When the batter slouched away in frustration he would nod quietly to himself, “Mmhmm.”
Adrian outlived Blanca but he cared for her in their home until the day she died. Even after her death his devotion never wavered. Every morning he made her a cup of coffee, rested his cane against the counter, and brought coffee and a banana to her portrait. He would tell her good morning, pray for her, and share any news. Whenever someone could drive him, he would visit her grave in the cemetery and play her favorite song, Las Mañanitas. Then he would walk to her sister’s grave, then his brother-in-law’s, then his daughter and son-in-law’s. If he was feeling especially strong he would walk out to see his father in law. His devotion to those he loved was truly remarkable.
In the last years of his life Adrian lost his beloved cousin Luis and both of his children, Arleen and Douglas. He found solace in the family he had left and was blessed to spend time with his great grandchildren; they brought him tremendous joy and loved him wholeheartedly, happily returning his jokes and telling him he was the shoemaker. The kindness and generosity of friends, neighbors, family, and caretakers allowed him to live independently for many years.
Adrian is survived by his daughter in law Adrienne, his grandchildren Dorienne and Jeffrey, his great grandchildren Sophia, Leonardo, Willem, and Zoey, and numerous nieces and nephews, including one particular nephew, Luis, who was like another son to him.
The crew of shoemakers who loved him will miss him terribly.
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