Obituary of Lucio Joab Benitez

Lucio Joab Benitez, longtime resident of Sunnyside, passed away on Friday, March 28th, 2025. He was born in Quito, Ecuador to Jesus Eloy and Maria Clementina. Lucio married his high school sweetheart, Elba M. Benitez with whom he shared 62 years of marriage. Together, they built a family and set roots in Queens, New York. Lucio had a natural curiosity about the world. His love of learning led him to obtain a teacher's degree from one of the most prestigious colleges in Quito. He then completed his mandatory military service in Napo where his attention to detail and discipline promoted him to bookkeeper at his station. After completing his service, he joined Banco Filantropica until 1969 when he embarked on one of the most adventurous journeys with his young family. Living in a new country was not easy for Lucio, but he never shied away from challenges. He was determined to provide a better life for his family. He learned English and Italian to provide more opportunities for his family. Lucio started working at the Ronzoni Factory as a machine operator and rose to operations manager until 1993 when he retired. Lucio always advocated for his staff and worked extremely hard. Lucio was a soundboard not only for his colleagues, but also for his friends and neighbors. His neighbor Janice referred to him and his wife as the "Powerful Duo" because of their ability to comfort, share and love their neighbors. One of Lucio's proudest roles in life was being a grandfather. He always used to say, "We should be grandparents before being parents". As a grandparent, he was more tender and affectionate to his grandchildren. During the summer, Lucio and Elba cared for their grandchildren. Lucio and his grandchildren spent lazy summers exploring New York City. He boarded the 7 train with many grandchildren and their Razor scooters to play in Central Park, visit museums, and make memories together. Lucio was known to always have a book on hand and enjoyed sharing his latest reads with his grandchildren. They admired his style and would always say, "Abuelito, I love your shirt/shoes/hat/etc,." and he would respond with his chuckle and usual remark, "Te lo vendo". Abuelito was someone his grandchildren could depend on, especially when he did school pickups. During those walk homes, he was everyone's Abuelito. The grandkids' friends would even ask, "Abuelito, can you buy me chips?" and of course he obliged. Abuelito guided his grandchildren through difficult moments by quoting literature and poetry along with his pensive thoughts and beautiful penmanship. He was a leader in the family and loved his grandchildren. Lucio was a loyal husband and father, neighbor, and loving grandfather. Lucio lived life anchored to his values: love, loyalty, generosity, and faithfulness. He is survived by his 7 children, 20 grandchildren, and 11 great grandchildren. Lucio will be missed dearly but his spirit will always be with us. Visitation will be Monday, March 31 from 4-8PM at Edward D. Lynch Funeral Home, Inc, 43-07 Queens Boulevard, Sunnyside, NY. Funeral Mass will be held 10:00 am on Tuesday, April 1, 2025 at Queen Of Angels RCC, 44th Street And Skillman Avenue, Sunnyside, NY. Burial will be in St. John Cemetery, Middle Village on Tuesday, April 1 at 11:15 am. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Sunnyside Community Center https://scsny.org/ in honor of Lucio Joab Benitez Lucio Joab Benítez, residente de Sunnyside por muchos años, falleció el viernes 28 de marzo de 2025. Nació en Quito, Ecuador, hijo de Jesús Eloy y María Clementina. Lucio se casó con su novia de la secundaria, Elba M. Benítez, con quien compartió 62 años de matrimonio. Juntos, formaron una familia y se establecieron en Queens, Nueva York. Lucio tenía una curiosidad natural por el mundo. Su pasión por el aprendizaje lo llevó a obtener un título de maestro en una de las universidades más prestigiosas de Quito. Luego, cumplió el servicio militar obligatorio en Napo, donde su atención al detalle y disciplina lo ascendieron a contador en su puesto. Después de completar su servicio, se unió al Banco Filantrópica hasta 1969, cuando se embarcó en una épica llena de aventuras con su joven familia. Vivir en un nuevo país no fue fácil para Lucio, pero nunca rehuyó los desafíos. Estaba decidido a brindar una vida mejor a su familia. Aprendió inglés e italiano para brindarles más oportunidades. Lucio empezó a trabajar en la fábrica Ronzoni como operador de maquinaria y ascendió a gerente de operaciones hasta 1993, cuando se jubiló. Lucio siempre defendió a su personal y trabajó con ahínco. Lucio era un apoyo incondicional no solo para sus compañeros, sino también para sus amigos y vecinos. Su vecina Janice los llamaba a él y a su esposa el "Dúo Impactante" por su capacidad de consolar, compartir y amar a sus vecinos. Uno de los roles de los que Lucio se sentía más orgulloso en la vida era ser abuelo. Siempre decía: "Deberíamos ser abuelos antes que padres". Como abuelo, era más tierno y cariñoso con sus nietos. Durante el verano, Lucio y Elba cuidaban de sus nietos. Él y sus nietos pasaban veranos tranquilos explorando la ciudad de Nueva York. Subía al tren 7 con muchos de ellos cargandos sus patinetas Razor para jugar en Central Park, visitar museos y crear recuerdos juntos. Lucio era conocido por tener siempre un libro a mano y disfrutaba compartiendo sus últimas lecturas con sus nietos. Ellos admiraban su estilo y siempre le decían: "Abuelito, me encanta tu camisa/zapatos/sombrero/etc.", y él respondía con su risita y su habitual comentario: "Te lo vendo". Abuelito era alguien en quien sus nietos podían confiar, especialmente cuando los recogía del colegio. Durante esos paseos a casa, era el Abuelito de todos. Los amigos de los nietos incluso le preguntaban: "Abuelito, ¿me compras papas fritas?". Y por supuesto que obedeció. Abuelito guio a sus nietos en momentos difíciles citando literatura y poesía, junto con sus pensamientos íntimos y su hermosa caligrafía. Era un líder en la familia y amaba a sus nietos. Lucio fue un esposo y padre leal, vecino y abuelo cariñoso. Lucio vivió una vida arraigada en sus valores: amor, lealtad, generosidad y fidelidad. Le sobreviven sus 7 hijos, 20 nietos y 11 bisnietos. Lucio será extrañado profundamente, pero su espíritu siempre estará con nosotros.