The Day The Music Stopped
All who knew Freddie know he loved music. He had a collection of more than 1,000 CDs. He listened to music all day, and every day, at all times; so, our home was never in silence. In order for me to have TV time or listen to my favorite tunes, I had to beg. At times, even I used to clean the house with music in the background blasting, and even the neighbors enjoyed the tunes. So, that for sure is the reason why our son became a guitar player and loves music.
When I had to place Freddie in an assisted facility, I came to
a home possessed by silence. Even
though I wanted to have some quite time, this was painful because I had a
feeling that the end was near.
He was my husband for 50 years, the one I used to dance with
-- oh boy and he was a great dancer, he even won some dancing shoes in a TV
program in Puerto Rico, comparable to “american
band stand”. He loved playing the conga and drums and entertain
his guests at home. He was a great host,
and we were known for our home parties. We
surely had fun.
He was a great worker, winning many stars at Disney’s
Planning Center, a job he greatly enjoyed and retired from with 15 years of
service, wining the respect of his co-workers and supervisors.
As a father he was an example of responsibility. Taking his son to the Bronx Zoo was a yearly
tradition when summertime came, as it was going to the beach and to wrestling
matches. As Tito grew, going to concerts and seeing him play was what made him
happy.
Then came that little red-headed jewel called Vivi. She came
into our lives and, because of the distance from Orlando to New York, we used
to Skype, to take part in her growth.
Every weekend, boy! he looked forward to those Sundays were we were
called grandma and grandpa and hear our
granddaughter’s stories. Seeing her grow was his greatest joy, as well as seeing
her drawings and the greeting cards she used to send us.
Freddie loved his brothers and was very proud of them, especially
Golo, who had the same music talent as he did. He loved my brother since he
first met him, and he will always be his “Carlitos”. He loved my family: Pilar,
Sonia, Nestor, Miguel, Frank, cousins Wilma and Diana.
As you can imagine, the love of my life for 50 years, the one
I promised to be there with in sickness and in health, is no longer with us,
and our home is in silence now!
Oh boy! St Peter you better watch out!!! You now have the
best members of the Rodriguez Rivera salsa group: Tio Julio in timbales, Walter
in congas and Freddie in the drums.
There is no stopping them now. From here to eternity, they will be playing,
and Heaven will be jamming. I will hear them for sure!
Love Ma
The family will be receiving friends on Wednesday, November 30, 2022 from 5:00p until 7:00p at Dobbs Funeral Home. The funeral mass will be held at St. Andrew Catholic Church on Thursday, December 1, 2022 at 11:00 am.
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