Carmelo Perez, 89, of Edmond, joined his heavenly Father on April 15th, 2014. He was born in Quebradillas, Puerto Rico, as one of sixteen children to Juan and Sinforosa Perez. His childhood was spent on the island, and as a young man he honorably served in the army during World War II. After military service, he attended and graduated from the University of Oklahoma.
Mr. “I learned that in Michigan himself” :)…i have been working for Carmelo and Connie for a little over a year now and they have taught me a lot. but what i learned from these two goes far beyond physical work. Carmelo was a beautiful and energetic souls here on earth and now he is a beautiful and energetic soul in heaven. i am grateful to have spent some of his last days working with him building a new apartment. i learned so much in my time with him, he was a BRILLIANT man and although he taught me a lot about manual labor he also taught me a lot about life, imparting on me wonderful advice that I will always cherish. As for his wife Connie, their relationship often left me in awe. When i first met them i would often ask Connie “how long have you two been married?” because they spoke to one another like they just met, so polite, so sweet and so caring. i had never seen a relationship filled with such love and obvious compassion. these two have truly been an inspiration to me gifting me with knowledge that i will cherish for the rest of my life and when i am older i will be happy to say, with Carmelo in mind “ I learned that in Oklahoma”.
Blessings, Marion Owens
Dear Marion ! I just read you posting about my father and want to thank you for your beautiful comments. Dad always loved sharing what he learned be it in PR, the military, OU or in Michigan. If one was willing there was much they could learn about the immediate task or the greater role in life. I don’t know many men or women still getting up and eagerly going to work at nearly ninety years af age but as you know dad was eager to face each day with the vigor of someone 1/2 his age. You are corrected that he and Connie had a special relationship which was one of love, support, protection and faith in one another.
I miss dad , his humor, his smile , his love of life and his family. Thank you for you help of dad and Connie and your friendship.
Sincerely,
Anthony Perez
Connie and Carmelo came into the Lowe’s where I worked. Connie had my personal phone number and would generally call first and give me a heads up that they were coming to the store. I would meet them down in commercial sales and we would talk some business and get what they needed, but it was never just a sale or transaction with Carmelo. He would always have a story to tell or an antecdote and would always put a smile on my face even if I was having a bad day. He had a big giant laugh that just drew people in and before I knew it there would usually be 3-4 people around listening to him. He had so much energy and I could tell he loved life. He would also ask about me and my family and was genuinely interested in my life. I no longer work for Lowe’s and I remember a lot of people I worked with, but sadly not many of the customers. I can tell you though that Carmelo was one person I will never forget. I was transferred to Houston and lost touch with Connie and Carmelo, but looked them up when I got back and learned of Carmelo’s passing. Connie and Carmelo told me where they lived one time so I stopped by when I was in town from Houston and knocked on the door but no one was home. I am writing this now for Connie and her family to let them know How special of a person I thought Carmelo was. I know I didn’t know him as well as some, but certain people have an impact on your life and Carmelo certainly did mine. I’ve missed his stories and jokes and I’ve never met anyone quite like him and I consider myself lucky to have known him.