Luis Enrique Denizard Cortes

The day before Thanksgiving day. He died here in our town of Lutz, Florida and while in the company of his beloved wife of 61 years Donya Miriam Rosado.

Our Dear MR D. was born on September 1938 in Santurce , Puerto Rico. Son to Amador and Juanita Denizard and 4th brother to our Dear Uncles: Angel, Eddie, Willin ,Terry, Freddy and Robert.

As a kid he was active, ambitious and determined. He developed a work ethic that would push him his entire life and that he would instill in us all as part of his core values… He did yard work, he sold bottles, he sold oranges and, shined shoes to make money…. He was a fighter, determined to succeed.

He had a fire in him that was hard to overlook and as he told me, got him into many fights. Something he learned to control, but admitted to enjoy. Ironically he also enjoyed literature, specially poetry, which he was passionate about til’ the end. He always liked books. Writers like Luis Pales Matos, Jose Angel Bueza, Jose Gautier Benitez, Pablo Neruda, Pablo Coehlo and Julia de Burgos, were some of his eternal favorites..

In his teens he then attended vocational school Miguel Such where he learned to be a mechanic. Later on he also joined the National guard . Around that time, that fire lead him to pursue the Big American dream, as many of us have over decades.

And so, he decided to move to the big apple, New York City, in the early 1960’s. He worked in factories, as a Taxi driver, bus driver and while going to night school, to obtain his high school diploma.

He even did some amateur boxing that took him to the Madison Square Garden! And he won! But that was short lived at the request of his mother, who did not agree with the choice at all.

After that, he worked in the post office and attended night school at the community college to obtain an associates degree as a stepping stone to pursue a higher education.

It is during that time that he met the love of his life, our dear mother Miriam and while she was attending school to become a nurse.

During that period, he also worked with the Puerto Rican Development Project as secretary and, advocate for equal opportunities for Puerto Ricans and Hispanics in New York City.

Later on and Influenced by one of his older brothers, Tio Willin, he decided to pursue a career in television. He attended the RCA institute where he graduated and with a job lined up at WAPA tv, channel 4 of Puerto Rico.

And so Miriam and Mr D. got married and relocated to Puerto Rico

There and along with our Uncle Terry, the Denizards became a household name for their work as some of the pioneers of Television and Radio in Puerto Rico. Coordinating, directing and producing some of the shows that were part of daily living. The Newscast, horse races, variety shows, musical shows, where all part of their resume and they worked in those for years.

However Mr. D saw the volatility of the industry. So he decided to pursue new horizons and further his education by attending the University of Puerto Rico, which he did as part of their night school program and while working full time. For years he studied and worked on t.v. By then he had 2 kids: yours truly and my sister Sandra. And we lived in the town of Carolina, where we went to school and they raised us for the earlier part of our youth.

He later made a move to West Indies Advertising Agency and, he completed his bachelors degree with Honors. He had interest in Law and Business and so he took courses for both tracks. He then went on to complete a Masters in Business Administration. Hard times came and he had to reinvent himself. With the advise of a neighbor, he decided to enter the jewelry business.

He sold jewelry and leather items, but also took courses to become a Jewelry Maker at the same Vocational School he had attended in his youth, Miguel Such.

He did this successfully for years. But with the crime rate rise of the 1980’s , he decided to leave that altogether and he found an opportunity to teach… that changed the course of his life and reignited his passion for learning and reading.

He went on to teach for over ten years and he retired later on.

During that time they raised my sister and I, Put us both through College and during that path, he taught us invaluable life lessons that will last us a lifetime. He was an amazing man.

He taught me many life skills, from making a tie, to some basic mechanics, household maintenance and, repairs. He learned some carpentry and welding so we could build the fences, terraces and, gates in our Carolina house. And we did them on weekends and school breaks. They taught us family values, respect and the love of God. He loved country living, animals and planting. We learned how to raise chickens, dogs, horses.

And after my maternal grandfathers passing, We eventually moved to the country side town of Trujillo Alto, where we were able to do those things. After I finished Dental school I moved to Florida to continue my education. However, things got complicated around that time as he got diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. A progressive condition that was detected early and was well controlled for over 20 years, but that would change him forever. With medications and the care of my mother, by the grace of God, they were able to continue fairly normal lives and eventually they moved to Florida. My sister later followed. My parents were able to travel, see family, friends and enjoy their kids and grandkids for many years.

Many fund memories were made and many bucket list items fulfilled. None the less, the condition started to shrink his fire and his flame. And eventually it started to slow him down. Physically and mentally. He Forgot things. He lost things. He Became manic about other things. Yet at 87 years old he always remembered our names, he kept his passion for books, his love of God and he kept his big smile.

Eventually the good Lord decided it was time and a cerebrovascular accident had severe damage to his brain. He had multiple complications which eventually lead to his passing.

We Thank God for the opportunity to have such a great father and role model. And for the blessing of being able to be with him during this journey while allowing us to navigate it all with the help of God and with no regrets. We said the things we wanted to say, we did most of the things we wanted to do with him, as money and life allowed. And we will always carry his teachings and love for life, God, education and our culture. He will be forever remembered and forever missed.

A visitation will be held at Gonzalez Funeral Home, located at 7209 North Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa, Florida, 33614, on December 13, 2025, from 10:00 am to 11:00 am.

Following the visitation, a religious ceremony will take place at the same location from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm.