Joseph C. Olozaga

Joseph C Olózaga was born in Cuba in December 1927. He gave and received a lot of love from his family during his more than 97 years on Earth and that love continues now that he is in Heaven. He is survived by his beloved wife of 73 years, Sylvia and his dear daughter and two sons. His long life also gave him the benefit of knowing four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

After attending the University of Havana and graduating with a degree in Chemical Engineering he obtained a job with Colgate-Palmolive. Although it was a solid entry-level job, he also took on a night position teaching Chemistry to support his wife and two children. He later obtained a better position with Revlon, also in Cuba. Once the Cuban dictatorship nationalized the facilities at Revlon, he got a transfer to New York city where he and his family made a new start. This position required him to travel abroad extensively, which wasn't easy for him or his wife, Sylvia.

During his career, he held positions where they had to move to Argentina, Miami, Mexico, and finally Puerto Rico. While he lived in Miami, he had a great part in helping to introduce the product Oil of Olay into the U.S. market. After an approximately three-year separation from Oil of Olay, he was hired by Richardson-Merrell (which later became part of Procter & Gamble) to oversee the construction of a new plant in Cayey, Puerto Rico. This plant would manufacture Oil of Olay for all the United States as well as various other products under the Vicks brand. He greatly enjoyed his job as plant manager, which he kept until retirement. After retirement he and his family moved back to Miami, Florida.

Early into his retirement he was dealt a personal blow with the onset of Wet Macular Degeneration. This meant he could no longer drive, play golf, read, or do many other activities. While it was a tough adjustment, he never felt sorry for himself; instead, he adapted to his new situation by enjoying books on tape as well as the use of a low vision reader. From this point on in his life he had to get a large screen TV and sit 1 or 2 feet from it to be able to see it. He liked to watch funny sitcoms such as the black and white episodes of The Andy Griffith Show. He also enjoyed action movies and some of the films shown on Turner Classic Movies. With the visual aid device and a lot of patience, he was able to maintain his personal finances. It also allowed him to read and study the Bible where he wrote and amassed a large stack of index cards with his favorite scriptures. During his entire life he was deeply religious.

Whenever a family member or someone was in some type of problem, he would step up and help with sound advice or financial support. Even though he could be firm he was still respected and appreciated by family and non-family members. An example of this that made an impression on me was how his former colleagues, most notably those from P&G in Puerto Rico, kept in touch with him over the years. The two times he returned to Puerto Rico to visit he and his work colleagues met for an all-afternoon lunch / get together at a local restaurant in Cayey. In Miami this level of appreciation was also seen by everyone that got to know him and dealt with him regularly. He is greatly missed and in summary I would like to reiterate what I have tried to convey in writing this. He would want people to know that he worked very hard his whole life to support his family; that he was deeply religious and wanted everyone he knew and loved to have faith in Jesus and follow his teachings so that we can all be together in Heaven.