Benito P. Vivar

Benito Pablo Vivar, known as Ben or “Boss” to his family and friends, peacefully passed away on October 11, 2018 in Oak Park, Illinois. Born on January 11, 1928 in the Philippines, his experience as a pre-teen during the Japanese occupation in World War II did not deter him from living his life with an open and generous heart. He met the love of his life Asuncion “Ciony” Velasco (d. February 27, 2018) when they were in their early twenties. They married in January 1955 and began their lifelong journey. Together, they rode life’s ups and downs with a sense of adventure, curiosity, grit and hard work. In July of 1971 they packed their young family of six and moved from Manila, Philippines to Chicago, Illinois to pursue the American Dream, working as a civil engineer and as a registered nurse. He was as frugal as he was generous. A consummate problem solver and tinkerer, he lived the DIY lifestyle decades before it was trendy. Ahead of his time, he also believed in conservation and sustainability. He composted food scraps, turned off lights when not in use, changed incandescent bulbs to energy saving fluorescent bulbs; he minimized his family’s water consumption by installing water flow regulators on the faucets and shower heads in their house—to the annoyance of his teenage children. Traveling, learning languages, gardening, cars and music were lifelong passions as was his love for ice cream which he passed on to a few family members.

He was a loving father to his four children, Simeon, Victoria, Joselito and Maria Cirila. Limitless with his patience, he adored his six grandchildren and great granddaughter—nothing made him happier than to have all of his family together in the house. He lived in the Philippines; Madison, Wisconsin; Chicago, Illinois; Hernando Beach, Florida; and lived the last years of his life in River Forest, IL. In addition to his immediate family, he is survived by his relatives in Toronto, Canada: sisters Maxima San Juan and Victoria Espino; and nieces, nephews and their children. He touched many people during his lifetime with his quirky sense of humor, stubbornness and kind heart. He will be profoundly missed by his family and friends.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research www.michaeljfox.org.