Juan Reynaldo Forte

1935 - 2020

Juan Reynaldo Forte and his twin brother were born on June 23, 1935, in Regla, Habana, Cuba. Juan needlessly passed on July 19, 2020, due to Covid-19 and was cremated on August 11th. He is survived by his 5 children and 10 grandchildren. In 1953 Juan moved to New York to pursue the American Dream. He learned to speak English by watching television and joined the Army before even being a citizen. A renaissance man, he worked in a hospital mailroom, in transportation and waste management, and was an amateur photographer. His entrepreneurial spirit led him to open a trucking company named Rayal Transport and he eventually retired in 2002 from the transportation industry. His generous spirit spanned his lifetime. In 1975 he was featured in his beloved newspaper that he read religiously, the Miami Herald, for saving the lives of two children who were swept away by heavy ocean currents. During Hurricane Andrew, he donated his trucking services and volunteered for the Red Cross. He loved football, the Miami Heat, and long-distance traveling. He was a hard worker his whole life. He was a joker and enjoyed being the life of the party, loved dancing, and pretty women. Juan, like so many others, should not have died from Covid-19 and our family should not be Marked by COVID. His death is due to the carelessness of rushing to reopen without a plan, causing cases to skyrocket in Florida, and the refusal to acknowledge the severity of the crisis or give clear direction on how to mitigate or minimize risk. The Cuban American community and other communities of color are stuck with the bill: needless, preventable deaths.