Rafael Cintron

Rafael Cintron, age 65, passed away peacefully at the Veterans Hospital in Oklahoma City on the night of April 2, 2024.
Rafael was born on January 14, 1959, to Rafael Cintron and Marcela Gonzalez and grew up in a loving home in Patillas, Puerto Rico. Growing up, he loved baseball and played as a Pitcher, earning the nickname "Rafy, the lefty" since he was left-handed and had a powerful pitch.
After graduating high school, he married his high school sweetheart, Lourdes Janet Ortiz-Morel. A year later, their firstborn daughter, Leslie Ann, was born. He went on to study Criminal Justice at the InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico and joined the Puerto Rico police academy. He served as a Police Officer in the islands of Saint Thomas and Puerto Rico for 10 years. During this time, he had two more children, Lynette, and Lenny Rafael.
While serving as a Police Officer, he was chosen to be part of the first-ever Tactical Operations team, targeting high-profile drugs and gang-related activities on the island, the equivalent of the SWAT team in the States. He loved justice, and out of all the professions he could have chosen, he chose law enforcement. He was one of the good ones, as many of his friends and coworkers describe him. He was proud and passionate about his job and took it very seriously. Despite working in a stressful environment, he never brought that stress home and was a loving father.
Rafael's desire to move up in life got him recruited by the Federal Bureau of Prisons as a Federal Correctional Officer. In 1992, he relocated his family to Bradford, Pennsylvania, to work at a medium to high-security federal prison. It was in Bradford where his 4th child, Jaylene Kassandra, was born.
In 1995, Rafael was transferred to the Federal Transfer Center in Oklahoma City, where he served in the gang-related force task. He was responsible for identifying the prisoners' gang associations as they arrived at the center and strategically placing them in the holding cells. He also had the opportunity to serve alongside the United States Marshall Service, transporting federal prisoners between the states and the US Virgin Islands. He treated the inmates with respect, and they respected him; he would always mention that inmates were people, too, only that they made the wrong decisions in life.
In 1998, Rafael joined the United States Navy Reserve as a Military Police Officer and served for 6 years. In 2001, he was called to active duty by an involuntary presidential recall to defend our country during Operation Noble and Enduring Freedom, participating in Anti-Terrorism training and defense. He was honorably discharged in 2004 and received the National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with M Device, Flag letter of commendation, Pistol Expert Medal, and Naval Reserve Meritorious Service Medal. He retired after a 20-year tenure at the Federal Bureaus Prisons.
After Rafael retired, he pursued his passion for photography. He also enjoyed cooking in his time off. He used to say that if he had not been a law enforcement officer, he would have chosen culinary arts and become a professional chef. He loved his family and cared for people. He always had a smile and a positive outlook on life. Rafael believed in the best in others. His favorite phrase was "little by little," which meant never to give up and to take one day at a time. This phrase was evident in his life; his work ethic and determination were to be admired.
Rafael was a proud father and grandfather. His children gave him 9 grandchildren.
Rafael is survived by his wife, Lourdes; his children, Leslie, Lynette, Lenny, and Jaylene; grandchildren, Naomi, Kaleb, Leilani, Jace, Drexen, Ayva, Jomar, Jareliz; his older sister, Vilma; and younger brothers, Tony and Luis.
Memorial services for Rafael will be held at 1:00pm on Saturday, April 13 at OKC Faith Church, 800 S. Portland Avenue in Oklahoma City.