Jose D. Rios Benitez was born on March 10, 1969 to his late mother Bersabe Rios and father Rosario Benitez in Anamoros, La Union, El Salvador. Jose lived in Anamoros with his siblings. Following the late 1980s, he immigrated to the United States for an opportunity for a new start to his future.
In August of 1993, he met his wife of 29 years, Diana. They married the following year on March 19, 1994 and started their family in March, 1995 with their oldest daughter, Amy, with Emely and Dany following a few short years later.
Jose helped raise three daughters with patience, discipline, and humility. Showing them the importance of hard work, staying true to your roots, and selflessness. His daughters are a living testament of the type of father, provider, teacher, and man Jose was. They have been able to further their education, their careers, and their future because of the endless support Jose provided for them. Even now, they push forward to continue their futures while honoring his memory.
Jose was full of life, full of jokes, full of laughter and childlike wonder. He loved experiencing new things, visiting new places, trying new foods, and fulfilling his childhood dreams. Even in his final week in El Salvador, he was able to do things he'd always dreamt of doing and through it all, there's peace in knowing his final moments were full of happiness, laughter, and new experiences.
As we go through the years, the pain will still be in our hearts, but we can honor and remember him by doing all the things he always loved. The things he believed in from the bottom of his heart. To stay true to our roots, to find solidarity in our family, make jokes, laugh at life, give to others, find happiness in the little things, experience new things, and never give up on your dreams.