Jose A. Arroyo

Jose Antonio Arroyo (“Cheo”, “Pop”, “Lelo”) of Winter Springs, Florida, cashed in on his final bet on March 29, 2022, at the age of 83, after complications from kidney failure. Born in 1938, to Adelicia Melendez and Jose Arroyo, in San Juan, PR; Jose moved to New York at the age of 17, where he would meet his wife of sixty-three years, Luz. They would go on to have four children. While his vocation, for over thirty years, was as a Chef at Cornell Medical School - cooking for the likes of Jacqueline Onassis, Placido Domingo, and countless others; his avocation was watching and betting on the races. He could regularly be found at the track, playing the odds and jockeys. He was good at it too. He embodied the old adage; “Use it up, wear it out, make do or do without” in every aspect of his life. Nothing was ever to be wasted, especially not food or money. In his kitchen, expiration dates were a suggestion, leftovers were always eaten, and you never knew what might be found inside a country crock tub. In his mind, money was a blessing, the result of hard work, and was never to be carelessly spent. This meant, you always drove local, never bought new, and if chicken breasts were cheaper at the Bravo across town…you were going across town. When asked why, he said, “You never know when or who in the family would need it.” He never resisted a generous impulse. If you needed a ride, he would take you. If you needed a place to stay, he would house you. If you were hungry, he fed you (and if you weren’t hungry, he fed you anyway). He loved traveling, a good story, a good joke, movies, novellas, music, and singing. He loved avena, coquito, beer, and red wine. He was the kind of man who believed that the devil knew more from being old than from being the devil; that the key to patience could be found in an elephant and an ant; and that a sleeping shrimp would get carried away by the current. He was the kind of man, who would go to the memorial service of someone he barely knew, because he believed a life lived, was worthy of remembrance. He was the kind of man, you hope to live up to. He was our Superman, our Waymaker. Jose is survived by his wife Luz M. (Serrano) Arroyo, daughter Alicia Arroyo, sons Jose A. (Maritza) Arroyo, Jr, Ricardo A. (Lourdes) Arroyo, and Xavier A. (Claudia) Arroyo; loving grandchildren: Justin, Liam, Kaleb, Jose, Joshua, Alexandria, Jovanni, and Xander; great grandson, Adonis, and his loving dog Kukito.

Jose A. Arroyo

November 27, 1938 - March 29, 2022