Arturo Lopez passed away peacefully on February 15, 2003 after a long fight with liver cancer and heart problems.

A few words about our father as expressed to Monsignor Carrillo before the funeral mass.

Arturo was a simple and humble man whose luxury was his family, especially his wife and grandchildren. Anyone who came to his house was amazed at all the pictures of the family through the years: birthdays, weddings, parties, you name it. The photos adorned just about every wall in the house.

If you value his life in terms of family, he was a rich man. He was the most giving man, not necessarily of money but of himself. He became best friends with everyone who crossed his path and I am sure he will do the same in heaven.

Before Christmas, my brother Ernie came over and cleaned his cooler. Ernie went and bought a cooler cover; my dad asked him how much it was and tried to pay him. Ernie said no, he had taken care of it. Well, a couple of days later, Ernie gets his mail and he sees there is a money order from our dad. When he told Kathy, they had a good laugh, as did the rest of the family.

As he lay dying in the hospital, my brothers and I spent the whole night reminiscing and laughing about what a wonderful life he gave us and our sister Martha. There wasn't a problem too big that we couldn't discuss with him. After talking with him, our problems seemed minor in the scope of things. We pray he knew how much we loved him for there are no words to describe how we felt about him.

He served both his country and family with honor. The whole family will miss him terribly but his memory will live with us for the rest of our lives.

Thank you very much,

Art Lopez Jr.

I would also like to give a special thanks to all the paratroopers from all around the country who came to honor my father.