Jorge Sandoval

Jorge Sandoval passed away on 2/28/25 at the age of 60.

It did come as a shock, but only because he was living a full, happy, adventurous life. I’m relieved that he wasn’t sick, didn’t suffer, and remained his goofy, life-of-the-party self until the end.

Growing up, my dad and I were best friends. He was so encouraging and supportive. I was an avid reader, so he’d excitedly spend hours with me at Books-A-Million every weekend, with no limit on how many books I could get. Took me to early morning tennis practices and late-night orchestra concerts. Our weekends primarily involved my parents, me, and all my friends and cousins going to theme parks, hosting sleepovers and parties, biking all over town, and going on trips. I joke about my typical suburban childhood in the Bradenton ‘burbs, but I believe my parents really did it right.

He was a rock star in the '80s, shag hair and all, and he kept the mustache. He was epic on the guitar, playing so loudly that all the neighborhood kids would come running. I heard him play recently, still got it. His guitar and amp are now in my house.

He had a 30+ year career in radiology. As I’m going through paperwork these days, I’m finding that he kept mostly two things: family photos and work recognitions. I have found many letters from patients thanking him for being such a calming, helpful presence that made their experiences easier.

He always talked about how tough, smart, and ambitious Colombians are. My amazing grandma immigrated with three kids to Miami, and they all worked hard to build a thriving life here. He went to college through the Army, moved to New York City at 19, where he met and married my mom. They then moved to Colorado where he was stationed and had the best day of their lives (I was born), before moving to Bradenton in the ’90s (a new town with a lot of cows).

My mom expresses her gratitude for having so many years with such a sweet and caring man. In her heart, they grow old together.

Up until the other day, I was still receiving daily texts from my dad about how much he loves and is proud of me: “I got your six” Noticing the texts stopped was heartbreaking. 

A couple of weeks ago, I randomly went to lunch with my dad, my aunt, and uncle. We had a great time, and then he went to see a band with some friends. Now, I feel incredibly grateful that we recently had that fun get-together for no reason. Had I known it would be our last one, we would have stayed and ordered dessert.

He was a funny, caring, adventurous man—father, husband, son, brother, uncle, veteran, musician and goofball extraordinaire. 

Love you, Dad. Thanks for everything.

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