Ben Ortiz

62, of Tampa, passed away suddenly on Monday, January 8th, at home. Ben was born in Havana, Cuba and came to the Tampa Bay area in 1966. He graduated from Tampa Catholic High School and Miami Dade Junior College. He was an Optician at Eyeglass World in Wesley Chapel. He loved watching his sons playing soccer, and spending time with his family. He was a member of St. Lawrence Catholic Church, and extremely loyal to the country that had welcomed his family. He was preceded in death, by parents, Silvia A. Ortiz, and Bernardo S. Ortiz. He is survived by his wife of 24 years, Haydee T, sons: Luis B, and Bernardo J; siblings: Lupe Ortiz, and Silvia Mainieri (John); brother-in-law Bert Oliva; and nephews Michael Mainieri (Diana), and Kyle Mainieri, the entire Perez family in Tampa, the entire Vela family in Miami, and numerous, valued friends. Ben was a man defined by the same strong faith and moral values of his ancestors. God and his family were at the center of his world. His faith helped him rise like a Phoenix after each of life’s challenges, and we pray that his sons will continue his legacy. There will be a visitation on Friday, January 19th from 5-7pm at Blount & Curry Funeral Home, 605 S. MacDill Ave. A Funeral Mass will be conducted at St. Lawrence Catholic Church on Saturday, Jan 20th at 1pm with entombment to follow at Centro Espanol Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider a small donation towards his sons’ continuing education. Arrangements handled by Blount & Curry MacDill 813-876-2421.