"I was saddened by the news of Tito Bert's passing last Saturday. I caught the first signs of something wrong on facebook very late the night before, and he was in my thoughts as I tentatively began my day. I got Tita Loowee's text message just after I finished playing tennis, a sport I know Tito Bert loved, not just watching it but playing it (a long time ago, according to Pop). He and Pop would talk about tennis when we'd call, and Tito Bert used to say to me that every time he catches tennis on TV, he'd think of me. Perhaps he saw that I had one of my few victories that morning, when I was happiest just before I looked at my phone."

"I was able to talk to Tita Odette Saturday morning, and I must apologize to Tito Gerry, Tito Gilbert and Tita Roselle because I didn't have your numbers to contact you and express my profound sense of loss. As I told Tita Odette last Saturday, I unfortunately know all too well the feeling of losing a father. It's a deep cut into your soul, the moment you realize the truth. Death always takes and never wavers, leaving us to cope with the emptiness."

"My one comfort that I share with all of you is that Tito Bert is in a place where pain can no longer hurt him, where he joins all of our loved ones who have gone before him, and where he watches us now and smiles as we all remember him fondly."

"Tito Bert was the first family member that welcomed us when Michael and I traveled to the U.S. for the first time in the spring of 1980 (along with Mommy Celi and Daddy Gardy). He showed me this new land of different cars, different houses, a different life but filled with the same people who all share the same sense of family, of shared hopes and dreams for the future. Since then, Chicago and New York were our favorite stops in our yearly vacation to the States. Even after we emigrated and settled in New York we drove the 800 miles to Chicago to visit and even got to see Tita Roselle and Tito Chuck's wedding in 1986." 

"Seeing Skokie again in 2009 just after Pop passed away brought back memories of playing tennis with Tito Gerry in the park near the house on Lavergne Avenue, riding Tito Bert's bicycle (or was it Tito Gilbert's?), playing with Grachelle, Ryan and Khristine and hanging with Tito Gilbert, Tita Odette, Tito Billy, and Tita Grace and Tito Ronnie. But in that winter week just after New Year's, the house was sadly empty, not just because Pop wasn't there, but neither was Tito Bert or Tita Lolly. We got to see Tito Bert during that trip, and I'm glad that my last memories of him were happy ones, with his ever-present smile welcoming us once again and making us feel warm in his company."

"I miss Tito Bert, much as I miss sharing everyday life with you all. Hope to see everyone soon, and know that I think of you and love you, no matter the years between visits. Because my memories remain."

Robert (Murillo)