During his many years at PanAm as an airplane mechanic he was able to participate in the development of Brasilia in the '60s; he was in the group that--for the first time in South America--replaced a jumbo aircraft turbine; he would fix things that his American co-workers would think were impossible!, always putting that jumbo jet up in the air... He also took us to see the world, to show us that this big vast world is beautiful and showed us the other doors of opportunities. I guess that this is one of the reasons that I live now in the U.S.: I followed his footsteps, immigrating to a new land and constructing a family. Will this become a family tradition?

He was not only accomplished in his work, he was a dedicated father, providing the family with shelter, food and much more that many families, unfortunately, do not have. He gave us a home to live in, parties to remember, warm loving Christmas parties with our “little” family. He left us with knowledge, lessons of life, and his rich culture.

He left many friends behind. Respected by his co-workers and Bolivian pals, “Julinho” as he was called was a real friend, extending his help to those in needed and enlightening and putting a smile on the faces of all those who met him.

His ingenuity was not only shown in his work. My father was a man of many talents: A hand-made carved airplane was his ticket to his new life in Brazil!-- impressive, so impressive that the Brazilian ambassador to Bolivia at that time decided to granted his stay in Brazil. Well, I have no idea if this ambassador is still with us, but if so, he would be glad to know that the young Bolivian full of dreams had a big impact on the lives of many and was a model citizen.  His talents and perfectionism extended to anything he touched: a handy man in the house, a talented self-taught painter, a self taught musician--and if something broke.. he would fix it!

Of course, I can not explain in few words what my father meant to me and to those whom he touched. I just hope that where he is now, he can rest in peace, no longer suffering with his painful health problems. And I hope, too, that someday I will have the chance to thank him for all that he has done for all of us.

He loved to paint landscape