Juan Garcia (Cuqui)

Juan Miguel Garcia (Cuqui), 63, passed away on Sunday, November 22, 2020 in Ocala, Florida. He was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico on September 29, 1957. He is preceded in death by his parents Carmen Rossy and Juan Antonio Garcia and his brother Carlos Virella.

He was born into a thoroughbred horse racing family and although he was a very bright honor roll student at the age of 13 he begged his parents to let him go to Ocala to learn how to ride horses and become a jockey. This was to follow in his father’s footsteps into the horseracing business. Cuqui rode in racetracks across the United States for a short period of time until finally settling in Queens, New York. While in New York, he proudly earned his GED continuing his studies and graduated with an Associates of Science degree from Nassau Community College as a paralegal. In the mid-2000’s he moved to Florida with Mary.

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He will always be remembered for his optimism, storytelling, constant jokes and unforgettable laughter. He was a “helper” of the best kind, he used his knowledge of the law to help those in need; he was always there to help the little guy, the guy that was down and out never expecting anything in return.

He is survived by four loving sisters, Olga, Maria Isabel, Milagros, Carmen, 13 nieces and nephews, a daughter, Heather, a son, John Michael, two granddaughters and 13 grand-nieces and nephews and his partner of 17 years, Mary.

Donations may be made in his name to Queen of Peace Catholic Church Ocala, Florida where he was a parishioner located at 6455 SW State Road 200, Ocala, Florida or visit their website at ocalaqueenofpeace.com.

Visitation will be from 3:00 - 6:00 p.m., Monday, November 30, 2020 at Countryside Funeral Home, Anthony, FL. Funeral Mass will be 8:30 a.m., Tuesday, December 1, 2020 at Queen of Peace Catholic Church.

”A funeral is not a day in a lifetime; it’s a lifetime in a day.” ~Anonymous