Jose Manuel Sucre, born in Caracas, Venezuela on Nov. 1, 1963, a longtime resident of Darien, passed away on Friday, March 25 at the age of 52.
Jose Sucre’s funeral service will take place at 11 a.m., Thursday, March 31.
Son of Juan Manuel Sucre Trias and Zoraida Maria Ciffoni, Jose Manuel grew up in Caracas and moved to the United States when he was 30.
Jose Manuel graduated with a degree in Law from the Catholic University Andres Bello in Caracas, and went on to receive a post-graduate degree in Public Administration and Law from Columbia University.
He began his career in public service while still living in Venezuela, serving as a representative of the state of Bolivar in Venezuelan Congress from 1988 to 1994, and in 1991 he became secretary to President Carlos Andres Perez.
In 1994, he was appointed to an adviser position at the United Nations, where he then worked for more than two decades. One of the proudest moments of his career came in 1999, when the United Nations Mission in Kosovo elected him Mayor of Peje/Pec.
In 1984, Jose Manuel met his future wife, Jeannette Gonzalez. They were married on Dec. 7, 1989 in Caracas. After leaving Venezuela and living briefly in Boulder, Colo. and New York City, they settled in Darien, where they raised their four children.
Jose Manuel will be remembered for his fierce intellect and unwavering love of his family. He was a dedicated father, husband, friend, provider, and mentor, with a keen sense of adventure and curiosity.
He loved to travel, and had a voracious appetite for anything new and unexplored, preferring instead to stay off the beaten path — the Mercado de la Boqueria in Barcelona and the café Miragio in Trasteveres, Italy were two of his favorite places in the world.
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— an obituary from Edward Lawrence Funeral Home
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At home, he was a self-styled “Iron Chef”, and could often be found cooking, wearing a pair of pants brought home from Bolivia, a shirt from Thailand, and his egg-shaped mayor’s hat from Kosovo.
Jose Manuel is survived by his wife, Jeannette, and his four children, Juan, Jeannette, Francisco, and Camilla, of Darien. He was a man of the world, but loved nothing more than coming home to his family. He will be dearly missed.
A Memorial Mass is being held at St. John Roman Catholic Church, 1986 Post Road, Darien at 11 a.m., Thursday, March 31, 2016.