Antulio Arias' Obituary
Antulio R. Arias passed away on September 16th, 2024, in Dallas, TX.
Son of Angela Marrero and Don Amado Arias, he was born on April 1st, 1934, in Camaguey, Cuba to a large family of eleven siblings. He had a strong love for music which he credited to having grown up in a family which used its musical talents for entertainment. He would go on to graduate from Camaguey Conservatorio de Musica with a degree in music.
After obtaining his degree, he left Cuba in 1955 to begin his life in the United States of America. Here he would go on to serve in the United States Armed Forces as a private in the Army from 1957 to 1963. Upon leaving the service, he would begin his pursuit of a career in music which he would continue for the duration of his life.
Throughout his life, Antulio would go on to live in New York, Virginia, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas. In Washington D.C., while serving as a tour guide for The White House, he would meet Mercedes Cervantes and the two would get married in 1971. Antulio and Mercedes would go on to have two children together, Victoria and Andrew.
The couple would eventually move to Louisiana where most of Antulio’s family were located. They would go on to raise their children in Metairie, Louisiana where he would work as a musician for 15 years. During this time, he would also serve as a music professor at Delgado Community College sharing his knowledge of music with generations to come. To the many people that played music with him or studied under him, he was affectionately known as “maestro.” He was physically active and loved doing martial arts, yoga, fishing, and gardening. Antulio had a strong love of volunteering for his community and would often play music at events or give free music lessons. He was so well known that he would be on the cover of local newspapers in Louisiana, be interviewed and asked to be on panels to talk about music, and even have his music displayed at an exhibit in The Smithsonian Institute in 1999.
He is survived by his wife, Mercedes Arias; their daughter Victoria Nordgren, son Andrew Arias; two grandchildren: Jacob Nordgren, Joseph Nordgren; brother Aaron Arias; as well as many nieces and nephews.
Antulio was a deeply beloved father, grandfather, uncle, cousin, brother, teacher, and friend.
While we lost our most beloved dad, many have lost a friend and a loved one in him. He had been a rock to many, a good sense of humor and witty timing to others, and his love was matched only by his stubborn nature. There was so much more to him than just dad, though to us that was his greatest role - he was also a friend, a musician, a cousin, a brother, a handyman, an artist, a gardener, the list goes on and on.
If he is to be remembered for anything above all, let him be remembered for being a man that pursued every one of his dreams despite any obstacles and adversities he encountered. He lived his life exactly how he wanted to, and we were all the better for it.
Also, in lieu of flowers, we would like for you to consider donating to the following charities In Honor of Antulio Arias
https://act.alz.org/site/TR/Events/Tributes-AlzheimersChampions?pg=fund&fr_id=1060&pxfid=917948
https://bealungsaver.funraise.org/fundraiser/antulio-r-arias
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