Victor P. Matos

Victor P. Matos passed away peacefully on September 17th, 2019 at the age of 98, in Torrance, CA. He was born and raised in Havana, Cuba, spending about half his life on the island. In Havana, Victor met and married a beautiful woman by the name of Maria Del Pilar Diaz Alejandro. Together they had 5 children in Havana.

During the Cuban Revolution of 1958 and the years following the dictatorship, Victor and Maria managed to provide the best they could for their children while awaiting their opportunity to begin a new life in America.

In April, 1968, Victor, Maria and their 5 children boarded a plane to Miami, FL and then traveled by train to their new home in Astoria, NY. A little over a year later, Victor and Maria welcomed their 6th child.

Starting all over again, Victor first worked as a parking lot attendant at JFK airport. With hard work and hustle, Victor quickly rose to the position of a FAA licensed Air Traffic Dispatch Controller with Varig Brazilian Airlines. In 1978, Victor was offered an opportunity to work for Varig in Los Angeles, so he and Maria moved the entire family to Torrance, CA where he lived and worked for the next 40 years, retiring in 1986.

During his retirement you could find Victor on the golf course, barbecuing for his family, watching baseball (especially the Dodgers!) and playing chess. He loved shopping at the Alpine Village market as well as the Torrance Farmers market every Tuesday, where everyone knew his name. He enjoyed spending time with the family, and was a regular attendee at both St. Philomena and St.Margaret Mary Catholic Church.

Victor is survived by his wife of almost 69 years, Maria, 6 children, 12 grandchildren, and 2 great grandchildren.

**In lieu of flowers, please send donations to St. Jude Children’s Hospital at st.jude.org.**