Skip to content
News
Link copied to clipboard

Carlos Juarez, newspaper copy editor

Carlos N. Juarez, 42, of Rydal, a newspaperman who did not let his physical challenges define him, died Sunday, Feb. 21, of complications of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease at home.

Carlos N. Juarez
Carlos N. JuarezRead more

Carlos N. Juarez, 42, of Rydal, a newspaperman who did not let his physical challenges define him, died Sunday, Feb. 21, of complications of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease at home.

Mr. Juarez was born in Northeast Philadelphia and grew up in Huntingdon Valley. He graduated from Archbishop Ryan High School in 1992, and earned a degree in journalism from Temple University in 1998.

For two decades, Mr. Juarez worked in the newspaper business as a copy editor, first at the Doylestown Intelligencer and for the past several years at the Bucks County Courier Times.

Mr. Juarez used a wheelchair because of his medical condition, a neurological disorder that causes the nerves in the arms and hands, and legs and feet, to deteriorate. He was affected especially by fatigue in the last several years, but he didn't let that stop him.

"He was not a sick guy," said Eduardo Juarez, one of his four brothers. "You wouldn't meet him and think, 'He's disabled.' He was just Carlos. You didn't think about the chair."

He was also brave. A few months ago, Mr. Juarez and his brother, who also uses a wheelchair, were confronted by a man who made a crack about their disabilities.

"Carlos wheels right up to the guy and said, 'We're two grown men and that's very disrespectful,' " Eduardo Juarez said. "He was strong-willed, and he spoke his mind. He stood up for what was right."

He also loved to laugh: Comedy was a passion. He enjoyed Monty Python, Saturday Night Live, and The State.

Mr. Juarez was adored by his family, especially by his 12 nieces and nephews. "He was an amazing uncle," Eduardo Juarez said. "He had such a special bond with all of them."

Mr. Juarez was a skilled poker player who was his most charismatic self while contemplating his next card play. His resonant laugh filled a room.

Mr. Juarez was at the top of his game at the time of his death, said Kenneth Moyer, a friend from the poker circuit. He was known as a notable player, and a well-liked one.

"He loved the game," Moyer said. "And he was always encouraging of me and others - he wanted us all to win. And he was very well-known - when you were with him, you couldn't go 20 feet without someone stopping to say hi."

More than that, he was a good friend. "It was always nice to spend time with him," said Moyer. "He'd always ask about my family, my boys."

In addition to his brother, Mr. Juarez is survived by his parents, Rolando and Maria Angeles Juarez; brothers Luis Alfonso, Rolando, and Santiago; sisters Nena and Miriam Enriquez McDivitt; and nieces and nephews.

Friends and family may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24, and 9 to 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, at St. Hilary of Poitiers, 920 Susquehanna Rd., Rydal. A Funeral Mass will be said at 10 a.m. Thursday. Burial will be at Hillside Cemetery, Roslyn.

kgraham@phillynews.com

215-854-5146 @newskag