Emilio Hector Reyes Jr

Hector E. Reyes of Auburn, passed on to be with his daughter Marlyn on Saturday July 4th, 2009. He was at home with his family by his side. Hector leaves behind his best friend and wife Lydia E. (Zayas) Reyes, his daughters Christina Rivera, Lydia Lynn Reyes, Guanina Reyes. His beloved grandchildren Hector Reyes, Jr., Serena, Alexio and Emelyn Rivera, Jaelyn Henry-Reyes, Anthony Reyes and Shawn Johnson Jr. and his son-in-law Amador Rivera. Friends Shawn Johnson Sr. and Craig Delman. He also leaves many extended family members and friends throughout Worcester County, Florida and Puerto Rico. Hector was born in a small town of Ciales, Puerto Rico to Emilio and Cristina (Berrios) Reyes on a farm owned by his father. As a child he was surrounded by a lovely, hardworking family. His parents taught him to have good values, to respect others, to get an education and to be a good constructive citizen. Hector's family was one of the first Hispanic families to migrate to Worcester in 1960. Hector was an amazing baker with Widoff's Bakery for 14 years and his daughters looked forward to him coming home every night with treats from the bakery. Hector, with Lydia, throughout the 1970s and 1980s, was instrumental in the founding and creation of several Latino organizations throughout Worcester and provided many years of community service. Back in 1968, The Latin Civic Association hosted social and civic activities at the Father Powers Center, and Hector helped coordinate many of those events. When ALPA was founded in 1971, Hector was soon appointed Executive Director. Working with the community and staff, they advocated for social issues and social justice within Casa De La Communidad. The first bilingual education initiative was a program to ensure that Hispanic children were educated in subject and age-appropriate classes. They also spearheaded the free breakfast program to ensure that students would be nutritionally prepared to learn in class. Hector worked with his daughter Marlyn to start the first Latino radio station programming on WICN at Holy Cross College in 1972, and the programs transitioned to WCUW at Clark University. Hector saw a need to address substance abuse issues in the community, and helped found Primara Parada as the first Latino program to address these issues in 1974. Hector also worked on the Model Cities Construction Clearinghouse program, advocating for workforce diversity so that Latino men could work in construction trades. In training young men and women to increase the vitality of the community, the Hispanic Youth Leadership Program was started in 1975. Continuing to expand athletic opportunities for the community, Hector was involved with the first Latino Softball League - the Roberto Clemente League- in 1976. Hector was also instrumental in helping create Centro Communale, Inc. the organization that founded Centro Las Americas - a family, community, and cultural center in 1976. Founding the first Latino Social Club and Nightlife Entertainment Venue in Worcester (El Coqui) also occurred in 1976. After retiring, Hector continued to help people progress beyond challenges in their lives. He worked with the Mass Senior Action Council in advocating on quality of life issues for Latino senior citizens as founding member and outreach coordinator. In 2004, Hector was a founding member of LAHA (Latin American Health Alliance), a team of community, civic, and political leaders who supported the Hector E. Reyes Substance Abuse Initiative. Years of hard work, commitment, and dedication to provide a culturally focused program and treatment facility for Latino males were realized in October 2008 with the Grand Opening of the Hector E Reyes House on Vernon Hill. Prior to the opening of the Hector E. Reyes House, he would actively help men addicted to alcohol and other substances to enter treatment programs and attain sobriety and new beginnings. Hector pushed the envelope as a pioneering Puerto Rican-American role model for everybody who was touched by his legacy and will live on forever. Hector's funeral will be held Friday, July 10th, 2009 from the Mercadante Funeral Home and Chapel - 370 Plantation Street with a Mass of Christian burial at 11:30 am in St. Peter Church, 931 Main St. Calling hours in the funeral home will be held Thursday, July 9th from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Burial next to his daughter Marlyn, mother-in-law, Anna and nephew will be in Worcester County Memorial Park, Paxton. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Marlyn Reyes Benevolent Fund, 4 Harvard Drive, Auburn, MA 01501.