Wilson Ortiz

Wilson Ortiz was a self made man, who arrived in New York as a young man to pursue the American dream. Beloved husband to Helen and father of five, Wilson Ortiz leaves behind daughters Edna Ortiz, Maria Ortiz, Linda Condon and sons, Rafael Ortiz and Wilson Ortiz Jr., and their spouses Joseph Condon and Sharon Hoolan Ortiz. He had five grandchildren Ryan, Gia, Ava and Kya Condon and Jonathan Ortiz. He was a lifelong baseball fan, falling in love with the game as a child in his native Puerto Rico. He followed the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Mets. He met his wife with a smile and a wave on Wall Street where he worked as a cook at the Downtown Association. They married in June 1963 and celebrated 56 years of marriage this past year. He cooked with love, had a great sense of humor, instilled his family with values and morals including the importance of education, hard work and discipline. He loved music and dancing. He was always impeccably groomed. He had a temper, but loved deeply and was ethical and fair in all he did. He and Helen retired to Port St. Lucie, Fl. In 2007.He was a member of Local 338 for 29 years, known to never take a sick day, and provide for his family to the best of his ability. He loved his cars from a red Grand Torino, to his white Thunderbird, to his last Chevy Impala he called “Carmelita.” He was wise, and thoughtful and had a heart of gold, fixing plates of food for hungry neighbors and driving older friends to the store weekly. He spoke two languages fluently and was proud of his Boricua American heritage.