Luis Armando Rodriguez

Luis Armando Rodriguez, the loving husband of Nancy Russian, who was a resident of Oceanside, CA. Luis was born in Camaguey, Cuba on October 27,1952. Luis lived a life filled with passion for Nancy, Luna his Boxer who rarely left his side, his family, his community work, his cars, traveling in their Newmar coach or on a cruise ship, and his favorite foods, Cuban rice and beans and a good steak.

Friends and family were fortunate to witness a love affair for nearly two decades. Luis and Nancy adored each other. Luis always represented himself as “Nancy and Luis.” When he called somewhere, he would always say, “this is Luis and Nancy”. Nancy’s last birthday card from Luis said, “The best thing in life is having you to love.” On the last day of his life, Luis had been to stores looking for the perfect birthday card for Nancy. He had pictures of them on his phone with the intent of making his own. Many husbands noted that Luis sometimes made them look bad.

Luis’s vibrant life tragically ended on November 4, 2024 along with baby girl Luna’s. Luis, Nancy, and Luna traveled through Valley Center in Luis’s special edition, 100th anniversary, Harley Davidson F150 truck. A 19-year-old drunk driver hit Luis’s truck head-on. Luis was a very proficient driver with a commercial license. The CHP investigators say that Luis’s decisions saved Nancy’s life that night. Fortunately, Nancy does not remember the crash. She awoke in the hospital to the horrendous news of losing Luis and Luna. Nancy is still recovering from her many fractures and injuries.

When Nancy and Luis were in town, they supported each other in many activities. Luis is a Paul Harris fellow of Rotary International and assisted Nancy with her Rotary events including visits to Ivey Ranch in Oceanside. He loved horses and became intrigued with how the horses provide incredible therapeutic benefits for students, children, and adults with a range of physical and emotional needs. John Todd invited Luis to serve as a Director of the Ivey Ranch Park Association. Luis only missed a meeting when he and Nancy were traveling. He helped achieve a broader community outreach and used his expertise in addressing ongoing construction and special projects needs at the ranch. Luis worked well with the Director, Tonya Danielly. Luis facilitated hiring an architect, obtaining city permits, and helped develop and supervise the upgrade of the flooring in the horses’ stalls. The ranch must have reminded him of the farm in Cuba he grew up on because he loved it, the staff, and the volunteers. Luis worked hard on the Hoedown, the annual fund raiser in October by getting sponsors and donating lots of auction items. Luis and Nancy sponsor Ardmore, a Gypsy Vanner horse from Ireland at Ivey Ranch.

Luis spent his early years in Central Siboney, Cuba with his parents, Rigoberto and Dermidia Rodriguez, and older brother, Rigoberto. The family lived on a farm with chickens and cows. Luis had a wonderful time riding his bike, dressing up as a cowboy, and spending vacations at Varadero Beach with his family. Luis recalled the crystal blue water, incredible white sand and riding on his dad’s shoulders through the surf. His dad worked at the American sugar mill. Luis’s idyllic life was cut short when Castro came to power in 1959.

The priests at the Catholic Church were able to get Rigoberto (age 13) and Luis (age 9) into the “Operation Pedro Pans” program. In 1960-62, Pan Am flew 14,000 Cuban children to the United States which is the largest recorded mass exodus of unaccompanied minors in the Western Hemisphere. Luis remembered being held in the “fishbowl,” a room made of glass which separated his brother and him from his loving parents while they awaited the flight to the US, not knowing if they would ever be reunited and where they were being taken.

The plan was for Rigoberto and Luis to live with the monks and go to school. Instead, they were put into a displacement camp and later separated. They knew no English. Luis remembered his first day waking up in this bunk bed and being given a little school carton of milk. He was used to milk from the cows on his farm. Luis couldn’t understand the idea of milk from a waxy carton. This was the first of many things he did not understand.

Luis began to learn English by watching TV when he was placed in a foster home. He was eventually sent to a monastery, Our Lady of Sorrows, in Bernalillo, New Mexico which was a far cry from the beautiful Cuban beaches. Luis began to feel secure there. He had fond memories of the staff and took Nancy back to visit numerous times.

The worst thing about the monastery was being a lonely, little Cuban kid. Luis had limited English, didn’t know anyone, and had no friends except his brother. The loneliness was eased when he found a stray puppy which he hid in an alcove outside the monastery. The monastery knew about the dog and let him feed and play with it for a while. Eventually the dog was taken away which broke Luis’s heart further.

Luis always loved dogs and would always take in strays. He had Duke, a female Pit Bull. Then he had two beautiful Blue Dobermans which stayed in his construction yard until someone came, doped them and stole them. Luis was the most generous man when it came to the animals. When an animal became ill, Luis helped with medical expenses without hesitation. When he went to an animal shelter to help his son get a dog for his family, a dog started pawing Luis’s back. Luis immediately bonded with Gina, a Boxer, and brought her home. Luis still had Gina when he met Nancy. Gina was not friendly but tolerated Nancy. Once Gina passed, Luis and Nancy got puppy, Luna, another Boxer. When Luna needed a pacemaker, Luis paid for the surgery. From that point on, Luna did not leave Luis’s side. The 68-pound Boxer would cuddle in his lap. He would massage her while she looked up at him with her big, brown eyes. A small comfort to Nancy is knowing that Luis and Luna passed away together in the crash.

After five years at the monastery, the brothers were reunited with their parents in California. Luis deeply appreciated all the sacrifices his parents made to make a life for their family. Luis told Nancy about his incredible dad. His dad’s first trip to America was as a stowaway landing at Coney Island, NY. He was sent back to Cuba but promised he would bring his family to America one day. When Luis’s parents finally arrived in the late 1960’s, they spoke little English. They took entry level jobs working very hard, saving their money and bought a house. They then a small market that sold everything and had a butcher shop. They saved their money and were able to buy another house and then an apartment building. Luis and his dad were each other’s biggest fans. His dad helped him buy his business. Luis’s dad was Mr. Personality and loved to dance, unlike Luis. Luis developed a love of casinos by accompanying his dad. Even when his dad became ill and had to travel with oxygen, his dad’s wish was to take him to the casino, which Luis did.

Luis’s father impressed upon him how wonderful it was to be in America and to be an American citizen. The fear of communism and being taken over the way Cuba had been was ingrained in him. Luis got his American citizenship in his 20’s and guarded his precious documents. Luis’s dad worked to and did bring all of his siblings to America.

Luis settled down to raise a family in the mid-70s in Los Angeles. He had four children. He was devasted when his wife, Roseanne, became ill and died.

Luis developed a huge interest in science and continued his education with architectural drafting technology. Luis was an ambitious worker at a little sign shop which happened to be called Luis’s Signs. The owner taught Luis how to hand paint signs, and he loved the work. The first sale he made was to CocaCola. He made their vending machines signage in the LA area. Luis eventually bought the sign shop and became his own salesman and craftsman. He grew that business to 28 employees including cousins and uncles. He used to say his staff represented the Spanish speaking countries of the United Nations. His company constructed and erected signs up the I-5 corridor in California and throughout the western US including the Las Vegas casinos. He collaborated with owners such as Roger Penske and Steve Wynn.

After owning his own business, he transitioned into executive sales for Image National Inc from Nampa, Idaho. After 24 years, he retired as the Senior National Account Executive at the end of 2018. Over the course of his career, Luis negotiated and communicated with national clients including GE, U-Haul Public Storage, Staples, CVS, Mervyn’s, Sprouts, Vons, Penske, Walmart, Fresh and Easy and numerous casinos and hotels. Luis had the multi-milliondollar contract to resign Bronco stadium.

Luis was proficient in all aspects of design specifications and fabrication of electrical sign products. He recently retired as a senior national executive with over 25 years of top performance in the construction and electrical lighting industry. His work required public speaking and presentations to architectural and design review boards and government agencies. Luis was the Responsible Managing Employee (RME) with certifications in structural steel fabrication and electrical standards. He held contractor’s licenses in California and Nevada.

Luis’s knowledge of construction aided Nancy in her real estate, home rental and rental management business. Luis could fix any problem and even helped her make sales.

Luis developed his love of cars with his first one, a Mustang. Throughout his lifetime, he owned a couple Porsches and restored a Datsun 240Z. When Nancy met him, Luis was driving his 100th anniversary, Harley-Davidson F-150 truck. He took excellent care of it and couldn’t go anywhere without people inquiring about the 2003 truck. One of the perks of his career was becoming friends with corporate executives, including Roger Penske who helped Luis special order his custom Corvettes. His last Corvette Stingray had everything from a carbon fiber interior to dual exhaust. He rarely took it out of the garage, so it only had 9,000 miles when it was traded in for a 40’ Newmar RV.

Nancy and Luis experimented with RVing by purchasing a one-owner Sprinter in Texas while visiting their friends, the Bishops. Their shake out trip was half the country from Fredericksburg, Texas to Oceanside. Discovering the love of being on the road, Luis, Nancy, and Luna traveled across country numerous times in the 25’ RV. They went up the west coast, up the Natchez Trace and down the Appalachian Trail. Luis wanted more room and checked out every big rig at the campsites. The new 40’ Newmar became Nancy and Luis’s second home which came in handy when they had to remodel their home due to a flood in their home.

Luis did not especially like traveling abroad until he met Nancy. He was concerned about his passport even though he was an American citizen. Luis found that he felt safe traveling on a cruise ship where he could explore a town knowing he could safely return to the ship. Once Luis discovered a love for cruises, they traveled to 75 countries and sometimes with friends and family members.

Luis is survived by his beloved wife, Nancy Russian, his brother Rigoberto Rodriguez, children and grandchildren. When Nancy and Luis married, Luis had three daughters, a son, and three grandchildren. He became stepdad to Nancy’s two children and two granddaughters. Over the eighteen years of Nancy and Luis’s love affair, the family grew. Luis Jr. and his wife, Jessica, have three children, Cassandra, Breanna and Aiden. Aiden celebrated his tenth birthday with Grandpa Luis at the Ivey Ranch Hoedown in October where he received a new pair of cowboy boots!

Nancy’s children, James Bates and Roxanne Semersky, and Nancy’s grandchildren adored Luis. He was a favorite Grandpa of Zoë, Sophia, and Madeline. Obviously, Luis will be missed by many.

Family and friends are invited to celebrate Luis’s life at a memorial service followed by a reception. Friday, January 3, 2025

Service begins at 1 p.m.

Eternal Hills Memorial Park

1999 El Camino Real Oceanside CA 92054

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the following organizations in Luis's and/or Luna’s honor.

Ivey Ranch Park Association

https://iveyranch.com

110 Rancho del Oro Dr., Oceanside, CA 92057

501 (c)(3) Tax ID 95-3775136

Boxer Rescue Los Angeles

https://boxer-rescue-la.com/

a 501(c)3 non-profit