Julio Gomez passed away peacefully on the morning of January 17th, 2021 after a brave battle with Parkinson’s disease and a recent Covid-19 diagnosis. He was born on October 26, 1935 in Bogota, Colombia to Gabriel Gomez and Beatriz Zerrate de Gomez. Julio graduated from Gimnasio Moderno High School in Bogota and began his studies at Universidad de los Andes in Bogota. Two years later he transferred to The University of Pittsburgh on an academic scholarship and graduated with a BS in Industrial Engineering in 1957. He also played varsity soccer while at Pitt. Post-graduation, Julio returned to Bogota and worked at Bavaria, a subsidiary of Grupo Santo Domingo (GSD), a major Colombian conglomerate. He was noticed by the Chairman of GSD for his outstanding performance and offered full scholarships to both Stanford University for a Masters in Management and UCLA for an MBA. During this time in Colombia, Julio also became a national Table Tennis champion! Julio had a passion for automobiles and single-handedly restored and rebuilt a 1952 MG, which he proudly drove through the streets of Bogota. His main accomplishment, however, was marrying the love of his life, Gloria Villamil. Julio and Gloria married in 1964 and shared 56 years together. They moved to Palo Alto, CA shortly after their wedding where Julio received his MM at Stanford University and then his MBA at UCLA.

While Julio pursued his studies at UCLA, the young couple had two sons, Gabriel and Julio Jr. Following UCLA, Julio and Gloria moved to Yakima, WA where Julio became Plant Manager at Hop Extract Inc. It was not an easy decision to move to Yakima, since their whole family, and many friends lived in Colombia. Julio made the selfless decision to remain in the U.S. to give his children a chance at the America Dream, even if it meant not going back to Colombia. Once settled in Yakima, Julio and Gloria had their third son, Carlos. Julio spent 37 years in the hops industry and travelled the world selling hops to major breweries. He retired as the Vice-President of SS Steiner Inc. as their number one worldwide salesperson. Julio loved travelling and made many friends along the way. No matter where his sons traveled, Julio always had a friend they could reach out to if help were needed. He loved animals and people, and was the life of many a party, he was never shy, and you always knew where you stood with him. But most of all, he loved his family. Julio was always happiest watching his sons play sports. He could be found on the sidelines cheering them on in Spanish, whether it was a rowdy soccer game or a tense tennis match!

Julio recognized the opportunities the U.S. provided for his family. He taught his sons to be bilingual, stressing the importance of mastering both languages. Knowing this, Julio brought all his nieces and nephews from Colombia to spend summers in Yakima. Family was so important to Julio, eventually most of them even spent a year in Yakima so they could go to school with his kids. Even though Julio was always proud to be from Colombia, one of his happiest days was when he and Gloria became U.S. citizens in 1983. The only mid-life crisis Julio had was when he bought a motorcycle. Fortunately, Gloria put an end to that, and he sold his beloved bike after only a few months. Tough but fair, he never asked more of others than he asked of himself. His bite was never as big as his bark, and he truly had a heart of gold. His charm and humor would always light up the room and his legacy will live on through his sons and grandchildren. All who were lucky enough to have met Julio will miss him dearly. Julio is survived by his wife, Gloria, his sons Gabriel (Sarah), Julio Jr. and Carlos, his grandchildren, Olivia, Zander, Antonia, Max, his sister Zita, and niece and nephew Sylvia and Jose Vicente. Adios, descansa en paz - tu familia te ama y te extranaremos mucho.