On May 26th, 1938, Felipe was born to Jose and Fermina (Nodarse) Puerta in Pinar del Rio, Cuba. As a young boy, Felipe was able to put his natural abilities to work. He was a bit like the sergeant of the family, in other words, he liked to organize and direct. Felipe was raised with 3 siblings. He had one older brother, Victorino “Tata”, and two younger siblings, Feliciano “Pepito” and Yolanda.
One of his biggest celebrations in life was on September 2, 1961 when he married his life-partner Caridad Cruz in Quebracha, Cuba. Together they were blessed with 4 children, three daughters, Ana, Leidy and Maitte, and one son, Manuel. They were also blessed with ten grandchildren, Idiel, Xavier, Yesette, Diego, Yanairi, Jose III “J.T.”, Alexandria, Alexis, Abigayle and Addison and three great grandchildren, Ryan, Xy, and Sofia.
Before being blessed with all his wonderful grandchildren, Felipe worked hard to bring his family of five to the United States. It wasn't easy, but in 1970 he was able to make that dream come true. He first arrived in Carol City, Florida where he spent a few years and later had his youngest child. Work slowed down in Florida, so once more the family packed up and moved to Columbus, Texas. In Columbus, Felipe met many people who would hold a strong friendship with him until his final days. He resided in Texas for the majority of his life until March 2017 when he moved to Hialeah, Florida to live with his daughter, Leidy. He spent the remainder of his life here.
In both his personal and professional environments, Felipe upheld his standards. He began his working career as a police officer in Cuba but later became a self-employed truck driver when he moved to the United States. Felipe certainly lived out the motto of “give me a job, and I will get it done.”
His favorite pursuits were going out to eat with his grandchildren, playing dominos with his brother and brother in law, and having Friday night poker with his best friends Ramon and Rosa Perez. Felipe enjoyed the presence of others and never missed his game nights.
In his downtime. Felipe enjoyed watching sports such as baseball and boxing. He would get excited at any major fight and would share the experience with his grandson Diego or his brother Pepe. But something he loved more than those fights were the Houston Astros. It was rare that he missed a game and he felt very fortunate to have lived long enough to watch them win a World Series in 2017.
Felipe joined his wife Caridad in Heaven on June 10, 2018 when he passed away in Hialeah, Florida surrounded by his family. He is survived by his children Ana (Alberto), Leidy (Rolando), Maitte (Pepe) and Manuel; his siblings Feliciano (Esterbina) and Yolanda (Leo); his grandchildren Idiel (Ryan), Xavier (Xy), Yesette (Sofia), Diego, Yanairi, J.T, Alexandria, Alexis, Abigayle and Addison and his many nieces and nephews.
Felipe touched the lives of many people in his 80 years. Whenever he was around he was sure to light up the room with his infectious laughter and his corny jokes. The love he shared with people will never be forgotten and it will be talked about for generations to come.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.katyfh.com for the Puerta family.
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