Jose Gonzalo Balladares

Jose Gonzalo Balladares, age 80, of Sterling, Virginia entered eternal life on December 16, 2023, after a brave battle with cancer. He was reunited in Heaven with his daughter, Karen Long, and his son, Samuel Balladares, who preceded him in death along with his sister Maria Eugenia and his parents Gonzalo Valladares Rivas and Lastenia Reyes Obregon. He is survived by his wife, Aura Elba, his children Dahlia Carolina (John) Wright, Janeth (Michael) Herman, David (Francis) Balladares-Bittar, Moises Balladares-Bittar, and Raquel (Larry) Decker, his grandchildren Samuel, Isabella, John Michael, Lily, Evelyn, Gabriel, David Jr., Mareane, Sean, and Michael, and his great-grandson Thanus. Raised in Quepos, Costa Rica and Managua, Nicaragua, Jose was a student of electrical engineering and received his bachelor’s degree from the Universidad Federal de Minas-Gerais, School of Engineering in Belo Horizonte, Brazil in 1967, where he fell in love with the Brazilian culture and language. He returned to Nicaragua to serve as a military officer where he had the opportunity to travel throughout Central America, Japan, and the United States. In 1973, Jose met the love of his life, Aura and they pursued the American dream landing in Virginia in 1980 with their three daughters and later joined by the birth of their son Samuel. Jose and Aura rebuilt their lives in Virginia and Jose happily continued his passion for travel working in India, Venezuela, Thailand, England, Peru and Hungary. Jose retired as a contractor for the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. where he was loved by so many of his coworkers and earned the title Pentagon Mayor for his kindness and friendliness. Jose was a passionate fan of soccer and could often be found enjoying numerous games on the weekend cheering on his favorite teams. His love for action-packed movies began in his childhood and lasted throughout his entire life. He loved Star Wars, Indiana Jones, James Bond-007, The Godfather, Ghost, and Short Circuit where he lovingly received his nickname “Johnny 5.” Outside of the movie theater, he loved watching his favorite shows with his “Viejita” where they enjoyed Exatlon, El Sultan, and telenovelas. He loved his Viejitas cooking foregoing any restaurant as he was already in a five-star establishment at home. Jose loved Costco and would spend countless hours going down each aisle making sure he didn’t miss a free tasting station and talking with his favorite employees who became friends over the years. Despite his love of earthly entertainment, his true passion was his love for Christ. Jose could be found daily at his desk delving deep into the Bible through scripture and reflection. He loved faith-based movies such as The Ten Commandments, The Passion of the Christ, and Ben-Hur. His Bible was well worn from his life-long devotion to the word. Jose committed his life to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints where he served as a Bishop for six years. He loved the Book of Mormon and served his congregants with kindness, compassion, and humility. As a father, Jose was a disciplinarian who loved his children and sprinkled them with his military style despite their grumbling. He would often demand his children write book reports during summer break and they spend every daylight hour playing outside. Every summer had at least one trip to Kings Dominion where the family enjoyed classic rides such as the Rebel Yell and the Shockwave followed by funnel cake. The family enjoyed picnics at Algonkian Park along the Potomac River where they would spend all day eating carne-asada and nacatamales, playing games, and fishing along the banks. He spent countless hours driving a station wagon to vacation destinations in Florida, Canada, and Alabama this included dragging his children through the Hall of Presidents, being drenched on the Maid of the Mist in Niagara Falls and cheering on the Alabama Crimson Tide at the University of Alabama. Before every meal, Jose insisted on a monologue prayer that often felt like an eternity and sent his kids into a stream of giggles and then fighting over the microwave. As a grandfather, where he was known as Tito, he loved hearing about his grandchildren’s adventures, eating banana splits, and passing along his love of chess. Jose will be deeply missed and his impact on this Earth will continue to ripple through his wife, children, grandchildren, friends, and everyone who he impacted. A celebration of his life will begin on Thursday December 28th with visitation from 6:00pm – 8:00pm at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints located at 1515 Poplar Grove Drive, Reston, Virginia. Funeral services will be on Friday December 29th at 11:00am at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints located at 2719 Hunter Mill Road, Oakton, Virginia followed by a 1:00pm burial at National Memorial Park located at 7482 Lee Highway, Falls Church, Virginia. In lieu of flowers the family is requesting donations be made to The Childrens Inn at the National Institute of Health where Jose received treatment and fell in love with the mission of providing a home away from home to children dealing with childhood cancer. Click here to make an online donation.

Jose Gonzalo Balladares

November 6, 1943 - December 16, 2023