Luis Enrique "Quique" Caceres

Quique was proud to have been born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, a college town on the west coast of the island known to produce some of the best engineers in Puerto Rico and the U.S.

It’s fitting that he was born in Mayagüez, because even though he never studied engineering, one of Quique’s natural talents was electrical, mechanical, and sound engineering. He could troubleshoot and fix almost anything, and had boxes of extra cables and parts in his closet that he could fish out at a moment’s notice when someone needed help.

During his teens, 20s, and 30s he served as the sound engineer and tenor for the Christian singing group, Reach One. Singing was another of his many talents. Together with brothers and sisters from his church, he used his talent to praise God and spread the gospel, often being invited by other congregations to perform worship concerts regionally and across the country.

The Seventh Day Adventist church was a defining part of Quique’s identity. He attended La Academia Adventista Metropolitana in Rio Piedras and lived in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico until the age of 14. The family then moved to Marietta, Georgia in 1979, and lived there for six months until resettling permanently to Gwinnett County.

Quique graduated from Berkmar High School in Lilburn, where he played on the soccer team. After high school he attended the University of Georgia, where he studied journalism. He was proud to be a Georgia Bulldog and Georgia football fan, as evidenced by his large collection of Georgia football memorabilia, hats, jerseys, and car decorations.

After attending UGA, Quique worked as a TV listing writer for TV Data and then in accounts receivables at The Emory Clinic. Unfortunately he was forced to stop working for many years due to health issues. He eventually regained the ability to work and worked as an assistant to a high-end jeweler and as a the secretary for the Atlanta North Seventh Day Adventist Church.

To have a more flexible schedule, Quique eventually took over his dad’s “Guayadora” business, selling, fabricating, and shipping Guayadoras (a machine that grinds root vegetables for a traditional Puerto Rican dish called pasteles) to customers across Puerto Rico and the U.S.

It was during these more flexible years that Quique also took on the additional job and responsibility of becoming an after school babysitter for two of his nieces and nephews, and a caretaker for his elderly aunt and uncle.

Of the many talents and roles Quique had, the role he was most proud of and best at was that of uncle. He was a fun and doting uncle to Juan Carlos, Jorge, Jose, Javier, Marc, Eric, Vivianne, Raphael, Jessica, Natalie, Anthony, Nina, Nicholas, and his great nephew, Leo.

In addition to his beloved nieces and nephews, Quique is survived by his parents, Juan and Carmen Cáceres, his brother Juan and wife Rosadelle, his brother Jorge and partner Wendy, his sister Carmen and husband Joel, his sister Liza and husband Vincent, as well as several uncles, aunts, and cousins.

Services will be held Sunday, January 20th at Floral Hills Funeral Home & Cremation Services in Tucker (3150 Lawrenceville Highway).

10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. - Visitation & Light Refreshments

12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. - Chapel Service

In lieu of flowers, a Memorial Donation can be made to the American Diabetes Association - http://www.diabetes.org/donate/