Roberto Justino Castro Suarez

Roberto Justino Castro Suarez, 90, of Fairfax City, Virginia, passed away on Wednesday, May 1, 2024 after a courageous battle with Parkinson’s. Roberto was born on April 14th, 1934 in Jauja, Peru. Roberto was the son of the late Pedro Nemesio Castro Villarreal and Dolores Teodora Suarez Chavez. Roberto graduated from the National Agrarian La Molina University in Lima, Peru, where he met Marcela Carmen Acevedo whom he married in January, 1959. In 1967, Roberto came to America and settled in Raleigh, North Carolina to pursue a new life in a new country with a new dream, together with his wife and two children where they soon welcomed their third and fourth child. Coming from a region with little education beyond 8th grade, Roberto graduated from the North Carolina State University with a Masters in Economics and a Doctorate in Philosophy in 1973. Roberto then established a successful and storied career with the United States Agency for International Development, where his 25 years of service made a profound impact throughout Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Roberto served as the wise, patient, and kind patriarch of the larger Castro family and was a devout follower of Christ and member of St. Leo the Great Catholic Church. Roberto’s love of God and Peru led to establishing multiple Hermandades de los Señor de los Milagros in the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, and America. An avid traveler and epicurean, Roberto visited over sixty countries throughout the world and had many stories to tell from his adventures. From the jungles of the Amazon to the peaks of Nepal to the beaches in the Caribbean and plains of Africa, Roberto loved experiencing other cultures and societies. He enjoyed hiking the Inca Trail in the Andes and often spoke fondly of his time in The Dominican Republic where the family spent time at Boca de Yuma and Boca Chica snorkeling, kayaking, windsurfing, and fishing. A passionate agriculturalist, Roberto altruistically shared his time and knowledge which made a dramatic change not only in his home town of Jauja, where he planted thousands of trees through a non-profit agricultural-based initiative, but also in shaping the next generation of agriculturalists and farmers in Central America and the United States. Roberto’s kind nature was welcome everywhere he went and no one knew it better than his children, grandchildren, and great grandchild. Roberto embodied a strength of spirit and perpetual determination to advance in all that he did, which his children took to heart in their own lives, leading them to great success. Most importantly, Roberto always emphasized to everyone to honor and love God, to cherish the people in our lives, to appreciate the earth - the trees, the beaches, the mountains, and the fresh air, and to always give back. Roberto is pre-deceased by brother Pablo Landeo Suarez and survived by his wife of 65 years, Marcela Carmen Castro Acevedo, brother Pedro Castro Suarez of Lima, Peru, sister Violeta Castro Suarez of Lima Peru, brother Fernando Luis Landeo Suarez of Pflugerville, Texas, sister Alejandra Zenaida Ormeño of Pflugerville, Texas, son Ricardo Antonio Castro (Delia Farfán Decerra) of Rockville, Maryland, grandson Antonio Alejandro Castro-Ossorio (Gizem Yucel), great-granddaughter Vanessa Imani Castro-Yucel, daughter Carmen Margarita Castro (Juan Carlos Surinach) of Fairfax, Virginia, grandson Juan Enrique Surinach, grandson Daniel Alexander Surinach, daughter Marcela Elizabeth Curtis (Daniel) of Annandale, Virginia, grandson Nathaniel Peter Curtis, daughter Susana Patricia Douglas (Jimmy) of Columbia, Maryland, granddaughter Marissa Leilani Douglas, granddaughter Coral Sierra Douglas, and granddaughter Adalae Miriam Douglas. The family will receive friends to celebrate Roberto’s life at Demaine Funeral Home (Main St) in Fairfax, Virginia on Monday, May 6th from 6:00-8:00 pm. The Funeral Mass will be held at Saint Leo the Great Catholic Church on Tuesday, May 7th at 1:00 pm followed by burial at Pleasant Valley Memorial Park at 2:30 pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to Roberto Castro's Tree Reforestation Program in the Andes and Amazon Rainforest.