Rafael Rojas was one of 16 siblings and a “fabulous storyteller who loved to share his many adventures,” his family recalled. Born in Colombia on the ides of March in 1934, he had a lifetime of them.
“As a young shoemaker in Bogota, Colombia, and later as a petroleum field worker in the Amazon jungle, he survived two episodes of malaria before making his way to New York City in 1958, where he became an American citizen,” his family wrote.
He died of congestive heart failure on Friday in Winchester, Mass. He was 90.
His stories so captivated his grandchildren, Taylor, Trace, and Tatum Kenrich, and Victoria and Monica Silva, that the three Kenrich siblings were inspired to write a children’s book about their grandfather’s adventures in the Amazon jungle.
Mr. Rojas was born in Simacota in the department of Santander, Colombia, to Rafael Rojas and Carmen Toledo. He met his future wife, Rosalba Cubillos, in New York City while attending English classes. They were married on Nov. 25, 1961, and together “worked hard to build and fulfill the American dream.” They instilled in their daughters, Elizabeth and Carmen, “the belief that nothing comes easily, and hard work is essential for success.”
In East Hampton, Mr. Rojas took great pride in his work as a caretaker at a large estate off Route 114 that was eventually donated to the Nature Conservancy. The family began spending summers there in 1970 and moved to East Hampton full time in 1975. Mr. Rojas worked at the estate for more than 30 years.
An “engaging man with captivating green-blue eyes that drew in his audience as he shared his numerous adventures,” Mr. Rojas enjoyed dancing and gardening. “His vegetables and hydrangeas were his pride and joy,” his family said. He would fish in Long Island Sound and socialize with his many friends in East Hampton. His daughters described him as a social butterfly.
He “was a man of many talents, able to fix anything with a variety of tools. Those who knew him would agree that he was one of a kind and will be greatly missed.”
His wife died in 2016, and in 2020 he moved to Massachusetts to be closer to his daughter Carmen Kenrich, who lives in Winchester with her husband, Walter Kenrich. He is also survived by his daughter Elizabeth Silva and her husband, Eduardo Silva, of Aquebogue, and by his grandchildren: Taylor Kenrich of Boston, Trace Kenrich and Tatum Kenrich of Winchester, Victoria Silva of Austin, Tex., and Monica Silva of Aquebogue. Of his 15 siblings only a sister and a brother in Colombia survive.
Mr. Rojas will be buried tomorrow next to his wife at Most Holy Trinity Cemetery in East Hampton. His family is planning a celebration of his life this summer.
They have suggested contributions in his name to the East Hampton Town Senior Center, or Beth Israel Lahey Health at Home, in recognition of the “fabulous clinical hospice team, Emily Haley, R.N., Tammy Gray, R.N., and Jennifer Quinn, L.C.S.W.” The address is 199 Rosewood Drive, Suite 380, Danvers, Mass. 01923.
