Aldo Julio Perez went to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on February 9, 2017 at the age of 85. He was born September 16, 1931 in Cascajal, Las Villas, Cuba. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Isela; daughters, Maite and Elizabeth; sons, Julio and Aldo; and beloved grandchildren, Clayton, Melissa, Carrie, Angela, Lizmary, Lynette, Kelly, Julio, and Mariela.
He loved God and lived to glorify His name. He loved everyone he met and lived to serve others. He was an active member of Dell Dale Avenue Baptist Church, Sampson Masonic Lodge, Arabia Shrine Center of Houston/Baytown, and the Republican Party. Through these organizations, he collected money on street corners and fried a lot of catfish to raise funds for the Shriner’s Children’s Hospital, assisted in building churches and houses through the Baptist ministries, volunteered his time and skills for numerous charities, and volunteered as a poll worker on Election Day. He just loved to help others.
He had a love for all things mechanical and electrical. He could fix anything. In his lifetime, he was employed with the Bacardi Corporation, Otis Elevators, Brown and Root Industries, Lone Star Industries and Baker Hughes. He retired from Baker Hughes at the age of 55. Throughout his life, he had his own electrical contracting business, A.J. Electrical Contractors. He consulted and contracted with several large companies. His resilient work ethic and integrity followed him through all of his positions in the various companies he worked.
In 1966 he left his beloved homeland, Cuba, in order to seek refuge from political persecution. He spent close to a year in Madrid, Spain where he worked for Otis Elevators. He knew Spain was not where he wanted to live, so he applied to the United States, Switzerland and Australia for visas. He was accepted to enter each of these countries. Through the Baptist Ministries, he came in contact with a group of Baptists in Channelview, Texas. This group sponsored his entry into the United States, making his decision for him. The bonds and friendships from this group would last for 50 years. America would become his beloved homeland. He called her the greatest country in history, because she was built on the principles of, “In God We Trust.”
He was known for his friendliness, wittiness, integrity, capability, and intelligence. He always said to find the joy in all things, even when it was hard.