Victaliano Artache, age 93, of Palm Bay, FL, loving husband of Carmen Artache, passed away during the early morning hours on Monday, October 30, 2023 while under the gracious care of Community Hospice at Baptist Medical Center South in Jacksonville, FL.
Victaliano was born in Comerio, Puerto Rico in 1930 and was the son and second of (7) children between Don Fulgencio and Esperanza Artache. Victaliano was preceded in death by those (6) siblings: Trena, John, Julio, twins Teófilo & Teófila, and Jose.
After losing his mother at the age of 8 years old, Victaliano’s father, Don Fulgencio, remarried to Doña Peppa creating a larger blended family with the addition of (5) step siblings: Peppy, Cutin, Jorge, Luisa, and Victor, who have also preceded Victaliano. Don Fulgencio and Doña Peppa’s marriage produced Victaliano’s youngest sister, Connie, who is now the lone surviving sibling.
Victaliano enlisted in the U.S. National Guard at the age of 18 and then served proudly and honorably in the U.S. Army as a veteran of the Korean War until 1956. After his time in the service, Victaliano made his way to the “City that Never Sleeps” to take his bite out of the “Big Apple”.
New York City would come to be Victaliano’s adopted home for the next 40 years and where he would hone his hustle and entrepreneurial spirit. Throughout his life, Victaliano never griped nor shied away from an honest day’s work holding a myriad of jobs and often more than one at a time. Among those jobs: a hat factory foreman, a yellow cab driver, a doorman, and a pizza shop owner. But, if you asked most people from those years, they’d remember him most as Victor’s Snack & Save. As the always affable and generous proprietor of a food truck that served the most delicious hot dogs and hamburgers you would undoubtedly enjoy and remember fondly. For over 20 years, if you drove down the Grand Concourse and found yourself around Yankee Stadium, you would’ve seen Victaliano parked outside of the Bronx County Civil Courthouse during the day. Or, down the road in the afternoons, evenings, and weekends at Franz Sigel Park; where he served as the unofficial Park & Recreations Commissioner; in charge of turning the softball field lights on & off, maybe serving as an umpire when they didn’t show, or as a pitcher when a team was short. Whatever it took to “keep the lights on”, Victaliano was that guy. He was unselfishly giving, tirelessly hardworking, and perpetually happy and smiling. He held lifelong passions for baseball and boxing and, most certainly, dancing.
Victaliano leaves behind his devoted wife of 45 years, Carmen Artache and stepson, Danny Artache, who he has raised since the age of 1.5 years old.
Victaliano also leaves behind (5) children from his first marriage to Lisaria: Victor Manuel, Ada, Yvette, Elizabeth, and Marilynn.
And, (6) children from a partnership with Andrea: Luisito (deceased), Victaliano Jr., Esperanza, Victor, Fulgencio, and Milagro.
The family invites you to join them in celebrating the full and joyous life of Victaliano Artache at Hardage-Giddens St. Johns from 9:30am – 11:30am followed by a reception and a 2pm burial service at The Jacksonville National Cemetery.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.hgstjohns.com for the Artache family.
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