Antonio Manuel Aguilar, Sr., 90, returned to his heavenly home on May 31, 2016 after a long and blessed life. His devotion to his family and his belief in God supported him in his final days and ultimately gave him peace.
Antonio was born to the late Jose M. Aguilar, Sr. and Ofelia Faxas Aguilar, in Cienfuegos, Cuba on September 14, 1925. He attended The University of Havana majoring in Civil Engineering & Surveying. A young Aguilar was able to start two Cuban companies specializing in Engineering & Photogrammetry providing services to some of the most prestigious US & National corporations in Cuba. As an anti-communist, Antonio left his beloved island with his family in 1960 with only a few hundred dollars in his pocket and his career. He never returned but always remembered and loved Cuba as much as this country that gave him new hope, opportunities, freedom and a prosperous life.
In the US, Antonio went back to school choosing the prestigious engineering school of Purdue to earn a degree in Civil Engineering & Surveying with special qualifications in Photogrammetric and Land Surveying. He went on to be a professor at Kansas State University in Surveying before joining the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). This led him to becoming a pioneer in computer programming with M&S Systems in Huntsville, Alabama in 1977. M&S was the precursor to today’s Intergraph Systems and the birthplace of the CAD System eventually known as Bentley MicroStation that he helped create. In 1980, he became a professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Florida where he had numerous published works. He was prolific in retirement investing in Alachua County Real Estate, designing and/or building over 100 unique homes in the area and eventually becoming a landlord.
Antonio enjoyed many interests including geography, history, carpentry, authoring technical manuals, architecture, travel, classical music, dancing, painting, photography, reading, chess, and dominoes among many other passions. He was one of the founders of the Spanish Club Amigos of Gainesville serving as President, Vice President and Secretary over the course of 30 years. He was a member of several distinguished societies including the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Society of Photogrammetry, the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping, the Canadian Institute of Surveying, the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers, the American Society for Engineering Education and the Photogrammetric Society of London.
Antonio is survived by his wife of 39 years, Rosamaria Aguilar; his children, Antonio M. Aguilar Jr., (Sandra), Jose M. Aguilar, Lourdes Aguilar Moody (Donald) and his cherished granddaughter, Lena Sofia. He was predeceased by his parents and his first wife of 19 years, Dalia M. Aguilar.
Funeral services will be held on Friday, June 10 at Forest Meadows Funeral Home, 725 NW 23rd Avenue. A rosary prayer will begin the services at 5:00 pm. Visitation hours are 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. A funeral mass will be held at Queen of Peace Catholic Church, 10900 SW 24th Ave on Saturday, June 11 at 11:00 am followed by interment at Forest Meadows Cemetery, 4100 NW 39th Avenue. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his honor to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memorial and Honor Gifts, P.O. Box 1000, Dept. 142, Memphis, TN 38148-0142.