In Memory of Papi Meme

 I remember vividly one Friday morning, February 3rd 2006  when I was informed of my father's death. His death couldn't have come at the most precarious time in my life since I was dealing with a painful divorce. It felt unbearable! I thought, "why is this happening precisely now"?

 My dad had type 2 diabetes and had been very ill for two years. He was getting dialysis so in my mind he would live for a few more years but the dialysis treatments he was receiving twice a week were not enough. That day, he woke up not been able to breath so they rushed over to the dialysis clinic but his lugs collapsed before they got there, they were filled with water and that is when his heart stopped beating, my mother was at his side and saw when he took his last breath. He died peacefully in her arms. If there is one way to go, it would be that way, no pain whatsoever.

My Father, Manuel Antonio Flores Barrerra was very admired by the people in the Radio business. He built an empire of a chain of radio stations and was very successful. He acquired many land investments everywhere in El Salvador ( because he needed them for the radio antennas.) He had strong opinions on practically everything, especially politics. Nothing amused him more than discussing politics. He always stood against  Fidel Castro and the devestating effect of Communism in our countries of Latin America. His biggest fear was that El Salvador would become another Cuba.

People called my father Meme or gato, his nickname. His eyes were soft blue and always since I can remember wore a mustache. As the parent of six children, one son and five daughters. He got used to being around females. When his daughters approach the age of dating, my father like any good father, always wanted to check them out but I am afraid those boys were unprepared for the unique inquisition to which they were about to be subjected. My father was a man of few words except when interrogating our boyfriends.

Manuel Flores was not a well educated man. His schooling ended after sixth grade when his father passed away and he had to find work to help his mother. He was however, an avid reader and he was blessed with a retentive mind. He conversed easily with men and women from all walks of life. He listened as attentively to little people with big problems as he listened to CEO of companies, Ministers and Presidents. Many of them where his friends. He was as comfortable in an elegant mansion as he was in a humble home of a peasant.

My dad was a big fun of watching any kind of sport but soccer  was his favorite. He could watch one game after another. He loved the wholesale way of life long before Costco appeared on the scene. He even started a business like that by the name of Mi casa but the other partners scammed him and took his money. He had a good heart and believed in people but some were dirty scoundrels. Conversely my father introduce me to people and places more fascinating than anyone or anything I ever encountered as a young girl.

 A highlight I remember was a vacation we took to Greece and the Greek islands, (that was my first cruise.) We also stopped in Holland, Turkey and Spain. Another memorable trip was climbing Machu picchu in Peru. That trip plus countless of others are the things we did together as a family. My father loved to travel and the US was probably one of his favorite places to visit. He even bought a condo in Miami. I can't lie, my father was not perfect,  he had a colorful life so typical of  many men in El Salvador.  He had some challenges including loving the night life and alcohol, etc. but he was a good guy, he had a big heart, was generous and believed in God. He was always honest. I am proud of my father who never gave into bribes. He did business with people the most honest way possible.

People marveled at my father's grasp of all matters political, economical, scientific, anything. He could remember in detail historic events that took place decades ago and had so much knowledge about business, the radio business. He build a station loved by my countrymen, a radio station for the people of El Salvador, I don't know if this phenomenon exists anywhere in the world because the radio had no specific format. He gave air time to everything and anything. Radio was his passion and later it became his livelihood. He named his radio station YSKL (anyone in El Salvador knows what radio station I am talking about.) The station dealt mostly with news and sports my father's favorite topics. The demands of his Radio business meant that my father was unable to spend as much time with his family as other fathers could. growing up, I always wished a had a normal father. One who would simply be home.

He was 83 when his death was announced over the airways.His  funeral was attended by at least 800 people who knew him and was transmitted all over the airways. I even spoke on the air. The city of San Salvador mourned the loss of a self made millionaire but we, his family, mourned the loss of a very special father and grandfather. Besides his idiosyncrasies, my father managed to show us how to save money for a rainy day, how to laugh until your stomach hurts and you cry but most of all how to be a hard worker and very honest in all your dealings.

Con amor,
Veronica