Al C. Miranda

Al Miranda was the type of man who would show up with a bouquet of white carnations and a single rose to surprise his wife. He was the type of man who at age 64 could still do a perfect back flip off the diving board. He was the type of man who would call his father every day. And he was the type of man who people gravitated to during parties because he was easy to talk to and always seemed interested in what you had to say. Now, he'll always be missed. On February 7, 2013, Al Miranda passed away in Piscataway, New Jersey. Al was born on April 29, 1948 to Alfonso Miranda and Zoila Romero in Chinandaga, Nicaragua. He moved to the States in 1958, and started working in banks when he was 17. He scaled the ladder and became a vice president at Citibank, where he worked for 44 years. But he didn't walk around with an upper-management mentality. He was loved by everyone—in and out of the office. His kids were his life. He was a gentle soul who would take his 15-year-old daughter, Taylor, on dates and treated her as his princess. He loved spending time with his granddaughter, Jordan, whose smile always made his day. And he was a proud father to his three boys--Al, Jeff, and Justin--who he encouraged daily to "fight the fight," but to always remember to treat people fairly. Al Miranda would've made a great leading character for a novel. He was successful, had great one-liners (remember: "Don't panic"), and was a complete romantic. He met his wife, Juliette, when she was 16, and told her that he knew he was going to marry her. She was his "Brown Eyes" and soul mate. He even made his mother-in-law, Josephine Fiquet, fall in love with him in a short period of time. Before Josephine passed away from cancer, she told Juliette that she knew she'd be okay because Al would take care of her for the rest of his life. And he did. They were married for 22 years. He's survived by his father, Alfonso Miranda, wife, Juliette Miranda, three sons, Al Miranda, Jeff Miranda, Justin Miranda, daughter Taylor Miranda, and granddaughter Jordan Miranda. Al was lucky enough to grow up with six sisters: Betty Bovasso, Norma Reddy, Rose Miranda, Judy Restivo, Ena McMahon, and Aminta Lemus. And if you met him, you could tell his softer side was probably because he had a lot of female guidance as a kid. Today he is survived by his sisters Betty, Rose, and Norma. Al was known for telling his sons, "Life is tough, but we are tougher." When he was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma last summer, he was determined to "fight the fight," which he did. His resolve and attitude were so strong that even his doctors were impressed, often referring to him as their "miracle man." He was a man of strong faith, and he'd want us to think about that now as we prepare to say goodbye to a wonderful father, husband, brother, uncle, and friend. The family would like donations in lieu of flowers sent to Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. If you'd prefer to send a check by mail, please send to: Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, 383 Main Avenue, 5th Floor, Norwalk, CT 06851