Rodney Maynard

Rodney Joseph (Gangui) Maynard was born on October 7, 1940 in Guantanamo, Cuba. He was the youngest of eleven children born to Consuelo and Joseph M. Maynard. Rodney like all his siblings attended All Saints Episcopal Church where his mother Consuelo sang in the choir.

For Rodney being the youngest had its benefits especially when seven of his siblings were boys! No one ever bothered the youngest of the Maynards if they knew what was good for them!

Gangui as he was referred to by friends and family was a caring son and brother and loved his family very much. His family was fortunate to experience his witty remarks and his clever and understated sense of humor. He was also a strict disciplinarian and his nieces and nephews knew better than to misbehave when he was around.

Rodney left Cuba and came to the US in 1971 and moved to Park Slope Brooklyn where he remained ever since. Soon after arriving from Cuba he obtained employment at the Cumberland Packing Company’s Sweet ‘N Low factory in Brooklyn, where he worked for 36 years, retiring as a foreman in 2007.

Rodney like most Cubans liked music and enjoyed listening to Celia Cruz. He also liked watching television, often comedies like the Honeymooners or Caso Cerrado on Univision. He liked fixing things and was an all around handyman.

Rodney will be missed by all who knew him, and his memory will be cherished by his surviving siblings: Lawrence, Margaret, Vira, Kelvin, Romelia, nephew Anthony and by more than 35 nieces and nephews both here in US and in Cuba and a host of other friends and extended relatives.