Hector José Barrientos Parada

Barrientos Parada, Hector José

April 19, 1949-January 10, 2024

On January 10, 2024, Hector passed away unexpectedly at his home in London, Ontario due to respiratory arrest. He was in his 74^th year.

Beloved husband of Maria del Carmen Herrera de Barrientos, loving father of Francisco (Keri) Edgardo Parada, Ana (Frank) Patricia Monteforte, Maria del Carmen Barrientos Herrera, Ana Elizabeth Barrientos Herrera, Hector Jose Barrientos Herrera, Juan Ernesto Barrientos Herrera, and Joaquin (Julie) Alonso Barrientos Herrera, and proud grandfather of Josefine Parada, Nicolas Parada, and Luca Monteforte.

Predeceased by his beloved parents, Maria Engracia Barrientos and Victor Manuel Parada, his dear aunt, Ilda Esperanza Barrientos, his siblings Maria Lilian Barrientos Parada and Victor Manuel Barrientos Parada, and survived by his sister, Nelly del Tránsito Barrientos Parada. Also survived by his brother-in-law Carlos Wilson Herrera, his sister-in-law Antonieta Herrera, and by many cherished nieces, nephews, cousins, and other extended family members.

Although Hector spent the majority of his work-life in Canada as an industrial painter at Fluid-Pack Corporation and Gorman-Rupp of Canada Ltd., he was most proud of having achieved his Bachelor of Arts in Economics in El Salvador and working there as a comptroller for Rio Lempa Hydroelectric Executive Commission, and as an economist with the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Agriculture.

Hector loved to spend time in his herb and vegetable garden, worrying little about his yield and more about enjoying the process of tending to his plants and being surprised by what grew where, as he would often forget to label what he grew. He loved to spend time baking and cooking, working on perfecting his stuffed peppers deep fried in egg, his buñuelos de viento (Mexican fritters), his French bread rolls, and many traditional Salvadoran foods. He was always up for a walk in the park (Gibbons was his favourite), especially if joined by one of his kids, and with a coffee in hand. He had a passion for politics, often ranting about American politics and the Republicans’ antics, or displaying his impressive knowledge of Latin American politics and revolutionaries who fought for human rights.

Aside from his family, however, his two biggest loves were soccer and music, possibly in equal measure. He was a gifted, avid soccer player in his youth and into young adulthood, playing as the captain of his team at the semi-professional level. He loved to recount his soccer exploits and did his best to pass on his love of the game to his kids. It is telling, however, that a family favourite story to tell involves one of his kids accidentally kicking their shoe across the field instead of the soccer ball, but Hector was consoled that most of his kids nevertheless developed a deep love of watching soccer. He was an ardent supporter of the German National football (soccer) team.

When he was no longer able to play soccer, music became his central passion. It was a rare time that he was not listening to music or without his iPod in his pocket. He had a soundtrack for every part of his life, he had a song for every occasion, and he instilled in his kids a deep love of many genres of music. He would often say, “Oh, I love this song! Make sure to play it at my funeral!” His family would joke that his funeral would last at least several weeks because of this, and he would reply that he was okay with that, and that he’d hang around in spirit to listen to every song all over again. His family therefore hopes that everyone who attends his memorial is prepared to entirely clear their schedule for that whole time period.

Hector had many accomplishments in his life. He would boast about his soccer days, the advancements in his career, and his uncanny ability to get away with all sorts of mischief during his school days, but one of his greatest achievements was moving to Canada from a war-torn El Salvador with his wife, four young kids, and countless suitcases in tow. He was prepared to sacrifice all he had ever known and built over the course of his life to start over and provide safety, opportunity, and a better future for his family. They will forever be grateful to him and will do their best to make him proud. He will be dearly missed by many.

Cremation has taken place. Family and friends are invited to the visitation at the A. Millard George Funeral Home, 60 Ridout Street South, London on Monday, January 22, 2024 from 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm. A memorial service will follow in the funeral home chapel at 2:00 pm.

In his memory, donations may be made to Diabetes Canada.

Online condolences shared at www.amgfh.com