Jose Manuel Rabago

José Manuel Rábago, originally of Cuba, died of a lengthy illness February 6, 2018. He had lived in Massachusetts since 2009. He was the husband of Zoraida Morejón Rabago to whom he was married for 59 years. José was born in the town of Viñales, Pinar del Río Province, Cuba in 1926, son of the late Celestino Rábago, of Asturias, Spain, and Maria Miranda of Cuba. He was born into a large family of five brothers and five sisters, and, along with his brothers, early in life became engaged in tobacco cultivation on his father's three estates in the province's premier tobacco-growing region. Tobacco grown and produced on his father's plantations would be sold to the famed tobacco houses in Havana for elaboration into finished cigars. Towards the end of the 1950's he started his own tobacco production business independent of his family, which he was able to develop successfully. The business, however, was confiscated by the communist authorities after the Cuban revolution of 1959. In subsequent years, José and his family immigrated to the United States where they settled in Florida. His knowledge of tobacco production was extensive, from the soil preparation and seeding processes, to its delicate cultivation, curing, aging, down to the creation of finished cigars. After leaving Cuba he continued his life profession, working first in Florida and eventually as Production Manager and Tobacco Grader in Latin American countries with established tobacco industries such as Costa Rica, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. Because of his expertise he was often featured in national newspaper articles and trade publications.
A devoted husband and father, he waxed nostalgic about the days of his youth in Cuba and loved to recall experiences in countries where he lived and worked and the people he met. He enjoyed extended family gatherings where he could connect with old friends, relatives, or business associates and reminisce about old times. He loved the ocean, was an avid reader, and developed a unique appreciation for classical music, having been introduced to it through his son's involvement in school and community orchestras. And he treasured time spent with his granddaughters who, though young, were extraordinarily devoted to him.
Possessed of a very magnanimous spirit, throughout his life, he was always keen to express his generosity to the poor and disfranchised, particularly families and children he met in the countryside, in countries where he worked in the course of his work for the tobacco industry. To honor that spirit, his family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations in his memory be made to World Vision ( www.worldvision.org ) a non-profit Christian humanitarian organization helping children and families in developing countries around the world or to Catholic Charities ( catholiccharitiesusa.org ), an organization doing great work with refugees / immigrants, disaster relief victims, and Seniors locally and nationally in the US.
José is survived by his wife Zoraida Rabago, originally of Cuba, and by his two children: Carlos M Rabago of Lowell, MA; Mercedes Rabago Delgado, her husband Joe, and their three children, Eva Karina, Emma Celeste, and Grace Emily, of Tewksbury, MA. He is also survived by his sister Dolores Rábago and brother Raúl Rábago of Pinar del Río, Cuba. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
Visiting hours will be Tuesday, February 13 from 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm at Anderson-Bryant Funeral Home, 4 Common Street, Stoneham, MA. A funeral service will be held Tuesday February 13 at 3:00 P.M. at Anderson-Bryan Funeral Home, 4 Common Street, Stoneham, MA, 02180. Interment will be Thursday, February 15th at 11:00 A.M. in Central Cemetery, Beverly. Relatives and friends may meet at the funeral home at 10:00 A.M. and proceed to the cemetery.