Community remembers Jose Andres Sanchez

For many in the Windermere Community who shopped at the Publix in the Lakeside Village Center, Jose Andres Sanchez truly made shopping a pleasure.

Sanchez, 58, a Windermere resident, worked at the Publix for four years as a bagger and absolutely loved his job, which he made evident with the kind, genuine smile he offered all customers.

His friendly face became a staple at the Publix, causing many in the community to mourn his recent passing. Sanchez, who would walk to and from work for his shifts, died in a pedestrian accident Friday, Oct. 12 while crossing Winter Garden Vineland Road.

The news shocked many, and a modest memorial was set up in front of the store allowing community members to offer their condolences and share memories with his family.

His sister, Angeles Shoultz, who served as his caretaker along with her husband, Jim, also was shocked to hear what happened to her brother, especially after having survived another traffic accident in 1998 that proved fatal for his parents, Jose Jesus Sanchez Figuera and Modesta Martinez. After that accident in 2000, his sister and older brother helped him move to the United States to start anew, Shoultz said.

“When they told me what happened, I couldn’t believe it,” Angeles Shoultz said. “He was a special person. And I’m not saying that just because he was my brother. Everyone loved him, and he loved everyone.”

Sanchez hugged everybody, even strangers, she said. He was known for never hesitating to express his affection and was kind to everyone he met. He loved interacting with people.

“He had an incredible capability to connect with people,” his sister said. “In Venezuela, he was friends with all the other kids in the neighborhood where we grew up. And he would keep in touch with everyone he met during his entire life using the internet. He knew the details of everything going on in their lives as if he had just spoken with them yesterday. He really loved people, and I guess that’s why he was so happy working at Publix — it gave him the opportunity to connect with people.”

Sanchez also loved music, Shoultz said. He often brought his computer and speakers to perform as the DJ at small neighborhood and holiday parties, she said. 

He could play almost any instrument you gave him, but particularly enjoyed the keyboard and the cuatro, a popular Latin-American instrument, she added. And he would play anything from Venezuelan joropo to salsa to music from the American band Earth, Wind and Fire.

“He was very passionate about music,” Shoultz said. “He was born with some learning disabilities, mostly with numbers, but he worked very hard with my parents to try and overcome those disabilities and went to a special education school in Venezuela. And with music, he was gifted. He could play any sound by ear. He would play the keyboard and the cuatro. He never understood how to formally write music, but he could play a song just by hearing it.”

Jose Andres Sanchez is survived by his sister, Angeles Shoultz; his brother, Jose Jesus Sanchez; his sister-in-law, Blanca Sanchez; his brother-in-law, Jim Shoultz; and his nephews and nieces whom he loved deeply: Angelina, Oscar, Emmanuel, Daniela, Abraham, Michelle, Andrea, Sergio and Gabriela.