Felix B. Perez

Felix B. "Felo," Perez passed away on February 24th, 2026 at 91 years old.

Born February 3rd, 1935 in Yauco, Puerto Rico to Juana and Anastasio Perez, Felix loved old western films. In 1954 at 19, he followed the script of the cowboys he idolized: leave home, work hard, stake a claim. He picked New York as his wild west. After a brief time in Harlem, he settled in Amsterdam, New York, among the first wave of Puerto Ricans migrating for manufacturing jobs on the city's East Side.

Felix worked at Amsterdam Glove factory, Coleco, and later retired from General Electric's Turbine Division. He was a Korean War-era veteran and steady presence in the Latino community, serving as longtime president of the Spanish American Club and active member of Amsterdam's Centro Civico. He was also a formidable domino player and he had the trophies to prove it.

And there was baseball. Felix dominated the fields as a local softball pitcher. On weekends, he'd bring his kids and later grandkids to Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame. The radio or the tv at home always had a game playing. He was a fan of both the Yankees and Mets but if pressed it was Yankees all the way.

His heart, his everything, was his wife of 71 years, Nelida Toro Perez. He said he fell in love with her when he was eight years old as neighbors in La Cantera. He is predeceased by Nelida; his daughter Madeline Perez; his son-in-law Jerry Wierzbicki; and his siblings Adelida, Antonia, Ernestina, Ramonita, Efrain, Roberto, and Manuel.

Felix was the patriarch of a family largely made up of women. He handed his son, daughters, and granddaughters saws and screwdrivers, and they helped in his many carpentry projects. From Division St to East Main St, he drove carloads of children (his own and the neighbors) to school. He taught the kids to drive reverse up Swart Hill Road in the dead of winter.

A lover of baseball, boxing, dominoes, strong coffee, and an afternoon nap in the recliner, he remained fiercely proud of his Puerto Rican heritage and the community he helped build in Amsterdam.

Felix is survived by his children: Miriam Reyes (Don), Silka Quiles, Nellie Perez Wierzbicki, Felix Perez (Marianne), Veronica Perez Torres (Mark), and Lila Perez (Terrance); eleven grandchildren; ten great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren.

In baseball, a pitcher starts the play. Felix pitched his dream from Puerto Rico to Amsterdam. He trusted his ground like the heroes in his westerns and never looked back.

Calling hours will be held on Sunday, March 1, 2026 from 2:00 to 5:00 PM at the Rose & Hughes Funeral Home, 200 Church St., Amsterdam, NY.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday March 2, 2026 at 11:00 AM at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, 39 Saint John St., Amsterdam, NY with The Very Rev. O. Robert DeMartinis E.V. as celebrant. Interment will follow in St. Michael the Archangel Cemetery, Amsterdam.

Please visit Felix's tribute at www.roseandhughesfh.com