Manuel Custodio Gomez

Manuel Custodio, 85, passed away peacefully on Sunday, June 25, 2023, in West Palm Beach, Florida. He was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, to Marciano Custodio and Josephina Gomez and was the youngest of their three sons, Vicente and Reynaldo Custodio. Manuel met the love of his life, Palmira, in Ponce as elementary school children. He had a middle school education before having to leave his studies in order to help his family financially. Manuel moved to New York City hoping to pursue better employment opportunities with limited knowledge of the English language, and ultimately joined labor unions in the Hotel, Manufacturing, and Commercial Building industries throughout his career. While in New York, he and Palmira reconnected as adults in the early 1960s. Manuel built a life with Palmira in New York City and retired to live with her in their homeland of Puerto Rico until she passed away in 2015. He returned to Florida, where he lived with his sons for some time and his daughter until she was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and could no longer care for him. He later lived several months with his youngest daughter before being diagnosed with Dementia and was later placed in a Memory Care facility until his passing. Manuel always enjoyed watching his favorite baseball team, the New York Mets, playing dominoes, and sharing stories about his life. He is survived by his children Silvia Pagan, Minerva DeJesus, Manuel DeJesus, Wanda Vargas (predeceased), Ismael Custodio, Hector Custodio, and Brenda Custodio-Guzman. He was a beloved grandfather to Orlando Gonzales, Natalie Pagan, Nadine Cruz, Nicolette Canizzaro, Christina Custodio, Tiffany DeJesus, Brandon DeJesus, Edwin Pagan, Melissa Martinez, Martin Diaz, Jalyssa Vargas, Amanda Guzman, Adam Custodio, Brendan Guzman, and Doyle Hunte Jr. Manuel will also be greatly missed by a host of great-grandchildren, nephews, nieces, cousins, in-laws, and friends. Thank you to all family and friends who have traveled near and far to celebrate his life. Thank you to the incredible staff of The Club at Wellington, who showed Manuel so much love, dignity, and respect during his short time with them. Thank you to his nieces and nephews, who always showed him endless respect, care, and love. He was genuinely adored and will be missed by all.