Julio Florencio Teo Gómez, a carpenter who came to the United States from Guatemala in 2010 to find work, died at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital on Dec. 30, after being struck by a car on County Road 39 in Southampton that afternoon. He was 48 and had been living in a nearby encampment in the woods.
“Julio came here for a better life and wanted to help his family back home,” his brother, Geovanni Teo Gómez of Riverhead, said.
When he arrived in Southampton 13 years ago, he found employment as a carpenter’s helper and worked his way up to a professional level, which his family said he enjoyed very much. He also worked in the landscaping field.
Mr. Teo Gómez was born on July 21, 1975, and grew up in Guatemala City.
He was a fan of salsa music. Friends wrote on an online memorial website that he was “lovely” and “a wonderful person.”
In addition to his brother, he leaves five children, Gerber, Javier, Ivan, Karen, and Geovanni, all of whom live in Guatemala.
A fund-raising campaign through Hamptons Community Outreach enabled a funeral service to take place on Saturday at the Tuthill-Mangano Funeral Home in Riverhead. The effort also enabled his family to take Mr. Teo Gómez home for burial in Guatemala, where an additional memorial service will take place.
Condolences can be shared online at manganofh.com/obituaries/julio-teo-gómez.
