Inacio Jose Oliveira Gusmao's Obituary
Inacio Jose Oliveira Gusmão (Joe), born on March 8, 1949, was married to Julia for 46 years. His proudest title was of father to Tammy, Barbara and Camila. He was Vovo Grandao to Logan, Evan, Kendra, Giuliano, Rafael, Gabriela and Maia. He was the most wonderful, loving big brother to Rita and always admired and looked up to his big brother, Helio. He was a fatherly uncle/godfather to Monique and Junior, who he loved dearly.
Joe was a father figure and a safe haven to quite a few “ non-official “ kids, children of friends who came and stayed with the Gusmao family, or vacationed, like Maria, Guga, Alessandro, Arthur, Armandinho, Bruno Garcia, Toninho, Ariel, Daniel Pimenta , Betinho M, Silvinho, Camila Machado, Tata, Ana Valeria, Bruninha, Luchito, and so many others who were loved and taken under his wing.
He was also a myriad of other things: he was a wonderful, caring boss, who always went out of his way to be there for his employees. One of them wrote that she will never forget when her husband fell ill and Joe took her salary check in person to the hospital because he thought she might need it.
When his company fell on hard times he took from his own earnings to pay every last employee that had lost their job.
He gifted a puppy to another when she was grieving the loss of her dog.
He was known by all he worked with, as a non defeatist. Through his career, he had many ups and down, but he was always ready to brush off the dust and start over.
He was a brother/friend to so many. Marcelo and Rosana, Glenn, Armando and Norma, Adolfo and Anita, Luca, Alberto and Regina, Lucas and Rosana, Stella and Joao, and countless more. When he loved you, he really loved you. He did everything in his power and sometimes out of his power to help his friends through any hardship. He was always one to make a call, to see if he had a contact to help you out, or call in a favor that would assist in a time of trouble.
Joe was , as his grand nephew Gabriel put it, always unapologetically himself. He had so many great stories about the essence of his character, enough to write a book.To the very end, Joe’s life was anything but boring. He lived his youth to it’s fullest, between beach volleyball in Copacabana, to Poker at the Country Club with his dearest friends, driving fast cars, and traveling the world with his beloved Julia. He chased street thieves down the wrong side of the Boulevard, and survived a crash landing of his air ambulance.
He was the biggest protector of the women in his life. In Julia’s words, a gentle giant. Starting with his sister, Rita, always extending a hand to help or let her know she is safe. His wife Julia, spent many days giving him the silent treatment for having punched or cursed out any guy who was disrespectful to her in any way. He once flew over a Craps table to let a drunken Casino goer know that his daughter was off limits to his verbal and physical abuse. He made sure his great niece Natasha knew that his love for her was unconditional. He cared for his mother in law, Doris as if she were his own mom, took care of her in many ways for so many years as he promised his beloved Tio Fernando. Though he was not always diplomatic, his heart was always in the right place.
He was an avid Tennis player and athlete, who became an avid Tennis and Soccer watcher when his abilities were taken by a series of strokes. He had very eclectic TV watching choices, from gory Viking movies with flying body parts, to day-long marathons of the Hallmark Chanel. His spot on the sofa was HIS, and the way he sat on it was identical to how his mom Rosilda, the love of his life, sat on hers.
To many he was known as a Highlander or a Phoenix, because with a medical history that was pages long, he was always quick to prove the doctors wrong, make it out of the next crisis that would have surely taken any other younger healthier person. The running comment in the family was if he contracted COVID, SARS or whatever the pandemic at the time was, he would probably have kicked it’s ass, like Chuck Norris.
His last months were spent surrounded by his girls, who loved him beyond measure, and made sure he felt always protected. The family did everything and spared no measures to improve the quality of his life for however long he was destined to live it. Joe’s loved ones find solace in knowing that when he entered the gates of heaven, he was received by Jesus and his beloved family and friends gone before him. Especially his Norinha and Mamita. He will be sorely missed but never forgotten.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Inacio's favorite charity St. Jude Children's Research Hospital www.stjude.org
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