Jose Alberto Alonso's Obituary
Jose was lost to us on the morning of July 25th. Jose had suffered a heart attack (his second) in February and despite making great changes in his diet, weight and exercise routine, the damage had been done and he could not recover.
Born in New York City, but quickly moving to Puerto Rico, Jose grew up with his two brothers, Jose Luis and David, and sister Elsa. He also has two half-sisters, Isamar and Rita.
Luckily for all of us, they moved to Miami in the seventies and Jose began making friends and learning English (which to everyone’s enjoyment he never perfectly mastered).
Many of his friends date back to middle school, but high school is where he is remembered most. Fellow Miami Coral Park students would see him involved in many clubs and activities. In 1978, he met his future wife, Stacy, when he ran up to her after school one day, handed her a “Jose for Class Treasurer” button and said “Vote for me”. They were married in 1985.
Jose and Stacy have two amazing sons, Jason and Matthew (and yes, he did refer to them as amazing). They will always be his pride and joy. He passed on his love of sports and FSU to them.
He LOVED FSU and excelled there. While the drinking and parties probably kept him from Magna Cum Laud, he did manage two degrees in finance and accounting with Cum Laud designations. He also gained some more lifelong friends.
After college, Jose’s career evolved from banking to audit to insurance. Among the companies that he worked for were Barnett Bank, Deloitte, Lennar, National Title Insurance Company, and finally BUPA Worldwide. He left an indelible mark and friendships at each one.
Jose also helped his wife start and build up an accounting firm in 2007. His typical days would start early and see him go to work, come home, eat dinner, and sit down at the home office to work on someone’s taxes. Through the years, clients became friends and friends became clients. He didn’t say no to anyone, which resulted in working most days until midnight during tax season.
When he wasn’t working, he enjoyed traveling, watching football, and having parties with his family.
Husband, father, brother, cousin, uncle, friend; he went by many titles and loved them all.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Monday, July 31 from 4pm to 7pm. Bring your smiles and your memories. He wanted no tears.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to the American Heart Association in his memory. www.heart.org/donate.
What’s your fondest memory of Jose?
What’s a lesson you learned from Jose?
Share a story where Jose's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Jose you’ll never forget.
How did Jose make you smile?
