Jose Lenin Sanchez
Jose Lenin Sanchez, a resident of Montauk for 32 years, died on Feb. 22 in West Palm Beach, Fla., where he and his wife wintered every year. He had a heart attack, one of his daughters, Luney Sanchez-Tubis, said yesterday.
Known as Lenin, he was born on Dec. 14, 1947, in Colombia to Jorge Tulio Sanchez and the former Ana Delia Gomez. He grew up in Pereira, Colombia. There, he met Maria O. Garcia, and the two eventually married. The couple had two daughters, Ms. Sanchez-Tubis, who lives in Astoria, Queens, and Marcela Cardona of East Hampton.
In the late 1970s, he obtained a work visa and began going back and forth between his home in Colombia and New York. “He wanted a better life for his wife and kids,” Ms. Sanchez-Tubis said yesterday. By the early 1980s, the entire family had immigrated to the United States, living briefly in Brooklyn before settling down in Montauk.
Mr. and Mrs. Sanchez worked initially at Gurney’s Inn. Mrs. Sanchez left to pursue a career as a registered nurse, while Mr. Sanchez went to work at Amagansett Hardware. Most of his working career, however, was spent at the South Fork Country Club, where he started off doing lawn care. He worked different jobs there over the years, ending up running the pro shop for the club.
They bought their apartment In West Palm Beach many years ago, but it was only since Mr. Sanchez’s retirement three years ago that they began spending the entire winter in Florida.
Mr. and Mrs. Sanchez loved working in their garden on their small Duryea Avenue property in Montauk and could be seen gardening together for most of their free time.
Mr. Sanchez also loved walking around the Culloden Shores area, from Gosman’s Dock to Captain Kidd’s Path.
Though not a very religious man, he frequently attended Sunday Mass at St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church.
Spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren, was always special to him.
Besides his wife and two daughters, he is also survived by four sisters, Ofir Restrepo of Colombia, Mariela Sanchez of Southampton, Olivia Rodriguez of Riverhead, and Doris Sanchez of Hampton Bays, as well as three grandchildren.
A Mass in Mr. Sanchez’s memory will be said this morning at St. Therese at 10:30. He will be buried at Fort Hill Cemetery tomorrow at 2 p.m.
The family has suggested donations in his memory to the Montauk Ambulance Company, 12 Flamingo Avenue, Montauk 11954.