Victor Mojo Obituary

Victor N. Mojo
March 20, 1945-January 24, 2014
Myrtle Beach
Victor N. Mojo, age 68, died Friday, January 24, 2014 at Conway Medical Center.
Victor was born March 20, 1945 a native New Yorker, son of the late Nicholas E. and Helen Madeline Polati Mojo.
He was a graduate of Columbia University in New York, NY, where he received both his BS and MBA in Marketing and Finance. Victor was a US Army veteran having proudly served his country during the Vietnam War where he received many commendations; including two purple hearts. He was an entrepreneur, working in the healthcare and technology sectors throughout his career. Victor had a huge heart, enjoying time with his family, friends and especially his children. He loved life and making people laugh. There was never a dull moment when Vic was around.
Victor is survived by his wife; Patricia Mojo; six children, Sara Vasquez of NJ, Danielle Mojo of NJ, Brittany Mojo of CA, Nicholas Mojo of NJ, Connor and Casey Mojo both of Myrtle Beach; two grandchildren, Niko and Jessica Vasquez of NJ; and one sister, Susan Wakefield of NY.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 AM Friday, January 31, 2014 at St. James Catholic Church with Father Tim Lijewski officiating. Burial with military honors will be held at Florence National Cemetery.
The family will receive friends from 5:00-7:00 PM Thursday, January 30, 2014 at Goldfinch Funeral Home, Conway Chapel.
Sign a guestbook at www.goldfinchfuneralhome.com
Goldfinch Funeral Home, Conway Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by The Sun News on Jan. 29, 2014.

Memories and Condolences
for Victor Mojo

5 Entries

Bob Farkas

February 7, 2014

It's hard to encapsulate a person's life in a few short minutes. Moreover, we all have our own impressions of Vic. I will give you mine and what he meant to me as a person and a friend. I hope something I say will resonate with you.

I can't bring myself to think of this as a “eulogy”, instead I will call this is a “tribute” to a very dear friend, Victor Mojo. While these two words are synonymous, they have different connotations. The former, somewhat negative, implies finality and sadness, while the latter, more positive, infers long lasting remembrance. Therefore, this is a tribute to Victor Mojo, the husband, the father, the brother, the friend, the businessman, and an American patriot.

I've known Vic for 28 years. It stuns me to think that this much time has already passed by.
I met Vic in 1985 when he was a business advisor for people who were seeking help to start a business. I had some hair brained idea that I wanted to become some type of money broker. It didn't work out. But what did, was the start of a long lasting friendship. I don't quite know how we ‘clicked.' Knowing Vic's personality, and if you'd had known mine at the time, you'd never have put the two of us together. One of my most favorite Italian sayings that I learned from my wife Josephine, who is a native born Italian, is…“at first God creates two people, then he puts them together.” There's no other rational explanation for our friendship, it HAD to be divine intervention.

I think we saw in each other traits that the other lacked. I so admired his business acumen, his “New York” no nonsense attitude, his ability to quickly grasp obtuse or difficult concepts and distill them to their simplest essence, and his ability to speak convincingly. All things that I lacked. I would like to think in me he saw reflective and analytical thinking, another way at looking at things, thoughtfulness and caution. Things that he may have lacked or would have like to have a better handle on.

But then, there were common interests and similarities too. He came from a strong Italian-American culture. I adopted a continental Italian culture (viz-a-viz my wife.) We both had daughters, well he had 3 to my 1. We both valued family and family traditions. His father fought in World War II against the Nazis. My father fought in WW II against the Communists. We both had politically conservative outlooks. We both loved and valued our country and its freedoms, Vic as a born American, and I as an immigrant and naturalized citizen. Vic was a Vietnam veteran, my brother is a Vietnam veteran. Oh, and we both shared a wry and boisterous sense of humor. At times we were worse than a couple of adolescents.

The one thing I most admired about Vic, was his military service. It takes an incredible selfless individual to put his life on the line for his country. He fought in some nasty situations. There is one commonality among men who have fought in war. They do not freely speak about their experiences. This is true regardless of the side one fights on. I know this for a fact, not only from my father, but I also have relatives who fought “for the other side.” Vic didn't openly tout his war experience. He had to be comfortable with you first, he had to feel he could trust you before he would say anything about his time in Vietnam. And at that, you would generally have to initiate the conversation, but carefully. He was humble in his service to this country. He was a patriot.

So maybe it wasn't Devine intervention after all or perhaps it still was, but more for reasons of commonality than differences.

There are very few people I've had such a close relationship with. It was more of a family relationship than a friendship. I think I've been closer to Vic than even to my own brother.
Through this time I've witnessed and experienced many of his life's ups and downs and I've had the pleasure of getting to know his family as if it were my own. His first two daughters Sara and Danielle were youngsters when we first started socializing. I've seen them blossom into beautiful young, successful women in their chosen paths. Then along came the lovely, demure, artistic Brittany and the free spirited Nicholas. I saw them come into this world and watched them grow into young adults. Finally there are the two youngest, Connor, my God son, and Casey. Boy did these two bring so much joy to Vic, especially in his remaining years. While you Sara, Danielle, Brittany, Nicholas, Connor and Casey, may at times think otherwise, your father loved you unconditionally and you were truly your father's pride and joy. I know that for a fact. You are his lasting legacy.

I've also got to know his wonderful mother, whose funeral I also attended, his vivacious sister, her husband and their daughters. I've met and socialized with some of his friends and their families, in particular Frankie. There was his first wife Ronnie, who was always cordial to us. There were all the joyous times with Jo, his second wife. Then, along came Patti in whom he finally met his match. We all know how volatile Vic could be at times. But Patti had a way of bringing him down to earth, as it were and, dare I say, putting him in his place. I was honored to be the best man at their wedding, further cementing our close relationship, and at a tragic time in our nation's history.

In turn, Vic has shared in some of my family's special moments. He was at my daughter Stephanie's first communion, her 16th and 21st birthdays and at my wife my 25th anniversary celebration. Vic has enriched my life. I hope I had enriched his.

I know the pain of losing a father. However, I don't know the pain of losing a spouse or a sibling. But I do know this. Time does lessen the pain. But more importantly, focus on your fondest memories and your most loving experiences with him. Cherish and hold onto those memories and Victor Mojo, the husband, the father, the brother, the friend, the businessman, and last but not least, the American patriot, will forever live on in your hearts.

Vic, we all love you and we'll miss you. May you rest in peace.