Juan Cano Marin
January 31, 1965 - May 22, 2020
It is with heavy hearts and a great amount of sadness, Cobble Hill Chapels regretfully informs you of the passing of our dear colleague Juan Cano Marin, on May 22, 2020.
Juan Cano Marin was born January 31, 1965 to Juan Cano and Norberta Marin ( both deceased ) in a little town in Mexico. While I do not know the specifics of his childhood, I do recall his talks about how it was a meager life as compared to our childrens lives in America. I know he went to elementary school, finished High School and he also managed to further his education with some college, minoring in theater classes and acted for a little while putting on plays in Mexico. He always spoke of this time in his life with great adoration. As his young life went on whatever he lacked in the spoils of riches wouldn’t matter. His mother had found the ability to instill Juan with an abundant amount of the virtues necessary to be the caring, kind, compassionate, honest and loyal man that we have to come to know and love.
Juan made his way to Cobble Hill Chapels shortly after 09/11 during such a tragic time. Juan found a home here in Cobble Hill after striking up a friendship with our Manager, Charles F. Each. Juan started working here doing light maintenance work here and there, however that was not the right fit for him. After watching Charlie, and our Owner, Gregory G. DeJohn work with families tirelessly, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, Juan began to take interest in making a difference more directly in our families lives. The day Juan put on a suit, he looked so handsome and sharp, and on that day he wiped away any meager existence of his former life and began to actively engage with our families making funeral arrangements. He went out of his way to make sure every single family here got a personalized and dignified funeral service, never missing a detail. After a short tenure working on wakes, taking families to churches and being available all night to take in decedents, Juan began to master his craft of cosmetology under Charlie and Greg. He took great pride in asking families about special requests they wished to have honored. He would work so hard to see that every detail was attended too, and our families would feel comfortable entrusting us with their funeral servlces.
Juan was truly committed to making sure every single person received his undivided attention for their final wishes. Juan would introduce himself to everyone here and offer his help in any manner needed. His tenure here exceeded the description of the job, as he loved to help everyone he met outside the funeral home as well. Juan was a resident here in the Cobble Hill area and he would see a thousand people just on a walk to the bank, a card party at St. Pauls, a few drinks at Mexicali, or even at Trader Joes. Many of you who will read this obit will always remember his big smile and warm genuine greeting as he would stop to say ‘hello’, or ‘where are you going?”. It was also impossible to get out the door for a simple errand, Juan was like the ‘Mayor of Court Street’ all the time, but he was actually much more helpful and he genuinely loved being among everyone in our community.
Juan had a magnetic personality which managed to attract friends and friends which became family from all diverse types of life. He enjoyed going out to dinners with friends, having some drinks, and dancing the night away. Juan was able to comingle with just about anyone with his enchantingly warm and inviting personality. Juan was able to bring almost anyone together for the sake of a good time creating unity in this divided world. This trait speaks to his character when we describe him as such a special person being able to unite all. Everyone and anyone would enjoy his company whether it was a local church event, a nightclub, a parade or a block party, a bbq, or as we know him to well to do, a wake.
When I think of anything that made him prouder to be a part of Cobble Hill Chapels, I think of his dream of being an American citizen. Becoming a citizen became a major part of his journey, as it is not made so easy for immigrants. Juan finally achieved this dream shortly before his passing. I am so glad so many of us here got to celebrate with him, congratulate him, and hug him, proud of his journey.
It hurts us so much to write this. We lost an amazing human being, especially right now in this world where everyone seems to hold onto hurt every which way you turn. Juan had the most precious gift of being able to mitigate that pain, be it sorrow, heartache, or grief, and make it seem so much lighter than the heaviest cross one could ever bear. When I think back to my earliest years working with Juan, it seemed as though every sentence he said to our families in Spanish or his version of English seemed to lighten the air. It seemed like magic to me, as someone who looked up to the way he genuinely loved taking care of people. He aimed to give solace and comfort when most of the other people run out of our lives. He was soothing, calm, and almost ethereal with his ability to console. Juan’s most prized possession was definitely his cat Shadow. It’s almost surreal that shadow passed on as well, just a few days after Juan. Its extremely heartwarming to think about them being able to be together again without the weight of our ordinary everyday world weighing upon them. I know they found each other again in another realm and here they will remain together forever.
We would like thank everyone in the community for their consistent support during this time. The phone calls, the stop in visits, the stories we all share with Juan are so important to remember right now. Juan was an integral part of our chapel, a vital part of our community, an indispensable friend in our times of need, and an endearing and devoted family member, partner, and caregiver. We will forever keep him in our hearts and prayers and we can all look forward to a bigger party one day reuniting us all with him.
Cobble Hill Chapels will host a Memorial Mass in honor of Juans' first year of passing into eternal rest, on May 22, 2021, 1:00pm at St. Pauls RC Church, located at 234 Congress Street Brooklyn, New York 11201