Esther Vargas

1923 - 2022

Mrs. Esther Vargas, 98, nee Esther Robles Aviles was born on November 3, 1923 in Hatillo, Puerto Rico. Her father was Tomas Robles Soto and her mother Emeteria Aviles Hernandez. She grew up in Santurce, Puerto Rico where she was enrolled at the Labra School. As a young woman she migrated to Brooklyn, N.Y. where she worked in the garment industry and later graduated as a hairdresser. Esther was a proud member of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU). It was in Brooklyn that she met her soon to be husband, Edwin Vargas Santana. They were married for over 72 years. Their 70 th anniversary was the subject of a human-interest article featured in the Hartford Courant. They returned to Puerto Rico in 1960 and for several years Esther worked for the Island's Agriculture Department (Extención Agricola). Later they lived in the Dominican Republic while her husband studied dentistry. Upon his graduation they lived in Hartford for several years while he worked at the University of Connecticut Dental School. When he opened his private practice in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Esther became the Office Manager tending to all the fiscal and administrative matters. They eventually retired to Orlando, Florida where Esther gained local fame by reciting Spanish poems from memory at the Asociacion Borinquea where she also loved to dance and frequently played the maracas. They moved back to Hartford in 2014 and eventually became residents at Avery Heights. Esther was predeceased by her husband Edwin and by her son Ruben. She is survived by her sister Nilda Portalatin of Orlando, her son Edwin Vargas and his wife Sylvia of Hartford, three grandchildren, Edwin III, Daniel and Ruben, six great grandchildren and four great great grandchildren and many relatives and friends who will miss her dearly. The family wishes to thank the devoted staff at Avery Heights for all the care and kindness shown to Esther. Funeral arrangements will be handled by DeLeon Funeral Home and will be private. A memorial service will be held for family and friends at a later date.