Juan Bautista Cáceres

Juan Bautista “Jimbo” Cáceres, devoted husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother and uncle, passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in Tucker, Georgia, on Monday, August 31, 2026. He was 92 years old.

Juan Bautista was born on June 24, 1934, in La Florida, a small community in the Río Blanco area of Naguabo, Puerto Rico, nestled in the foothills of the Luquillo Mountains near El Yunque. He was given the name Juan Bautista because he was born on the feast day of St. John the Baptist, a day of special significance and celebration in Puerto Rico.

He loved growing up in Río Blanco and carried fond memories of his childhood surrounded by the mountains, freshwater rivers and streams that flowed through the area, where he spent many happy days swimming and riding horses.

As he grew older, Jimbo (pronounced “heem-bo”) lived in many places, including San Juan, Mayagüez, St. Thomas and Trujillo Alto, before moving his family to Georgia in 1978. Although he spent nearly five decades in Georgia, Puerto Rico was always home in his heart. He carried it with him in his music, his memories, his family, and the food and traditions he loved.

Jimbo was a gifted machinist and tool and die maker, a craft that was both his profession and one of his greatest passions. He was also an entrepreneur, owning and operating several restaurants in Puerto Rico and St. Thomas at different points in his life. As a machinist, he worked for companies including Sunbeam and Lockheed Martin, among others. But Jimbo never really retired. Into his 90s, he continued to work in the basement machine shop he built in his home, where he could be found designing, making, fixing and machining products.

His machine shop was a reflection of the man himself: practical, inventive, independent and happiest when he had something to build or customize. Working with his hands was more than his profession; it was part of who he was. Even in his final days, he continued to create, repair and tinker, always finding something to figure out or make better.

It was at Sunbeam that Jimbo met the love of his life, Carmen Maria Irizarry. He was deeply devoted to Carmen, and they shared 62 years of marriage, building a life and a family together that became the center of Jimbo’s world.

But Jimbo’s greatest legacy was not the things he made with his hands. It was the love he gave to his family.

He was an extraordinarily loving and affectionate husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother and uncle. Jimbo was also incredibly close to his siblings, who were his very best friends throughout his life. His nieces and nephews also held a special place in his heart and were, in many ways, like second children to him.

He had a remarkable ability to make the people he loved feel cared for, valued and important. Family was not simply something Jimbo had; it was who he was, and that deep devotion to family was a defining trait and enduring legacy of Jimbo and the Cáceres siblings.

Throughout his life, Jimbo had many passions. He loved cars and boats, and later in life, scooters and golf carts. In his final years, he could often be found riding around his neighborhood, listening to the Puerto Rican music of his youth and enjoying life on his own terms, a testament to his independence, strong will and determination to keep living life to the fullest until his very last day.

He is survived by his wife, Carmen Irizarry Cáceres; his children and their spouses, Juan Bautista Cáceres Muskus and Rosadelle Pla Benet, Jorge Luis Cáceres and Gwendolyn Albrecht, Carmen Mayra Cáceres and Joel Joa, and Lizannette Cáceres Mulkowsky and Vincent Patrick Mulkowsky. He was preceded in death by his cherished son, Luis Enrique “Quique” Cáceres.

He is also survived by his 13 grandchildren, Juan Carlos, Jorge, Jose, Javy, Marc, Eric, Vivianne, Raphael, Jessica, Natalie, Joel Anthony, Nina and Nicholas, and his eight great-grandchildren, Leo, Laith, Sergio, Mauro, Alvaro, Nico, Luca and Maya, each of whom brought him immense pride and joy.

Jimbo was preceded in death by his parents, Severiano and Areopagita “Paita” Cáceres, and his beloved siblings Alfredo, Ana, Aida and Joe. He is survived by his brother Roberto.

For 92 years, Jimbo lived a life defined by family, hard work, ingenuity, loyalty and love. He leaves behind generations of family who will carry his memory, his stories and his love with them always. He will be deeply missed and forever cherished by the family he loved above all else.

A private celebration of Jimbo’s life will be held with family. In accordance with his wishes, he will be cremated, with no burial service planned at this time.