Quenia Rodriguez devoted widow of Juan, loving mother of Fernando, Gustavo, and Juan was born in the Dominican Republic on April 5, 1948. After High School and in pursuit of starting a business, she left the Dominican Republic for Caracas, Venezuela in 1967. Upon her arrival in Caracas, she opened up a Spanish cuisine restaurant, which is where one day, Juan, her future husband and father of three boys entered to have lunch. After that first lunch in Caracas, the love story began.Juan Rodriguez was born on September 19, 1948 in the Canary Islands, Spain and left Spain in 1967, for Caracas Venezuela as well.
In 1969, Quenia and Juan moved to New York City and set off to start a family in Washington Heights. Fernando the oldest of three was born on March 24, 1971 and twin brothers Juan and Gustavo were born three years later on the exact date , March 24, 1974. We always said moms timing was impeccable. The entrepreneur in Quenia always guided the Rodriguez family forward and she tried and succeeded greatly at catering, real estate, becoming a U.S. citizen, but more importantly at being an amazing wife and raising her three boys in the South Bronx during the 1980's. She protected her boys from the environment with an emphasis on education, great family values and of course the Quenia Rodriguez iron fist. In the end, she wanted three cardiologist, and she got three New York City Cops. She could not be more proud as evidenced by the NYPD, museum like entrance, to her home in the Bronx.
The magic of Quenia is her ability to always give and share anything she had with family and friends including strangers who needed help. As a little girl in the Dominican Republic, she would often times tell us how poverty stricken her neighborhood/family were-but also knew, as she looked up in the sky at planes that she knew were headed to the United States-that if she worked hard, maybe one day she to could come to America and build a good life for her family. She had a plan forty eight years ago and she accomplished all of her goals. Our dad, Juan Rodriguez died on May 29, 2016 and on Friday November 17, 2017 rejoined my mom and said hello to her again like the day they met in the restaurant, fifty years ago in Caracas. As we celebrate her life and Thanksgiving this week, in the first paragraph I said the love story began and I'll end this with the love story continues.
The Family will receive visitors on Friday November 24, 2017 from 3-9 pm at Riverdale-on-Hudson Funeral Home, 6110 Riverdale Avenue Bronx NY. On Saturday morning the family will gather at the funeral home at 9:30 for a 10 am service followed by a committal service at Woodlawn Cemetery.