"We Love You, Joe!" - Joseph Castro Memorial Fund

It is with a heavy heart and many tears that I share with you all the passing of my father, Joseph Castro. In honor of my father, please read and consider the following message.

Some knew him as “Joey”; others knew him as “Joe” or “Joseph”; on no less than two occasions he was known as “Benjamin Franklin” because of his sometimes-uncanny resemblance to the Founding Father. But to me and my five siblings, he was simply known as “Dad”.

A true baby boomer, Dad was born in the year 1950 to recently migrated Puerto Rican parents who sought the opportunities that had eluded previous generations. While Dad struggled with dyslexia, in part preventing him from obtaining a college education, he found strength in mathematics, music, and photography. Dad was an abstract thinker with a gift for turning the intangible into reality.

For much of his life, Dad served in various technical and support roles; over several decades, Dad worked at Cooper Union College, Amazon, Lockheed Martin, and even owned his own computer repair shop. In spite of not having the credentials or education of his supervisors, Dad was innovative, resourceful, and pragmatic. He deeply desired to understand how things functioned, and desired even more to teach and help others.

Growing up for our family was far from easy. My mother struggled with severe mental illness and was institutionalized numerous times. Dad was a hard worker, but at no point was his income ever sufficient for himself, my mom, and their six children. We survived on housing vouchers, food stamps, debt, and on innumerable occasions, the graciousness of strangers and kin. My parents would frequently remind us, “Be thankful you have a roof over your head.” And so we were.

In 2023, things took a turn for the worse. For years, Dad had complained of stomach issues and other ailments. At my behest, Dad underwent what we thought would be a routine procedure. In December 2023, Dad received perhaps the most difficult news of his life: not only did he have Stage IV metastatic prostate cancer, but he likely had it unknowingly for years. His prognosis was terminal.

Not one to easily be deterred and with a stalwart spirit, Dad continued to work; not because he wanted to, but because his family depended on it. Even though Dad had labored for over 50 years, he never accumulated enough money to retire. In early 2024, at the age of 73 and beset by a spreading cancer and the pressure to finally focus on himself, Dad made the important but difficult decision to stop working. While Dad finally had time to himself, it was not the quality time that we would expect a person of his labors to enjoy.

In July 2025 a week-long stay in the hospital prompted an emotional, but cathartic experience for Dad and the family. Faced with weeks to live, our family made difficult decisions to ensure that Dad’s remaining time was comfortable. For me personally, this meant the deferral of my bar application and quitting my job to focus on Dad’s wellbeing. Dad soon started hospice, and his condition continued to deteriorate. Early this morning, on August 27, 2025, Dad passed away in the presence of his family.

Dad’s passing comes at an especially difficult time for our family: with depleted resources, our family has recently petitioned for guardianship of my mother because of her significant mental and physical decline. End-of-life planning and quality of life improvements for Dad's final weeks have further exhausted our family’s resources.

I have started this GoFundMe in honor of my father, Joseph Castro. Dad’s deepest desire in life was for the wellbeing and safety of his wife and six children. Dad labored for over five decades so that his wife and children wouldn’t have to experience the hardships and poverty that he, his parents, and those before them had to endure.

The resources from this fund will be used to ensure Dad’s final wishes are carried out: that a proper memorial and Celebration of Life would be held, that the welfare of our mother be provided for, and that all other associated expenses for his end-of-life planning and care be taken care of.

Growing up, my parents relied on the graciousness and kindness of both friends and strangers alike to make ends meet. In some of his final words before passing, Dad said “I love you all.” In honor of my father Joseph Castro, please join me in saying “We Love You, Joe!”, by sharing and donating to his memorial fund.