Jose Churruca's Obituary
Jose Churruca, 92, of Tampa passed away on June 6, 2025. He was born in Ermua, a village in the Province of Bizkaia, in the Basque Country of northern Spain to the late Jose Maria and Estefania (Aramburu) Churruca.
Jose is survived by his loving wife of 65 years, Antoinette Churruca, daughter Stephanie Perez (Juan), son Jose Churruca, Jr. (Shabana), granddaughters Eleni Perez, Gianna Perez and Anisa Churruca, brother Juan Churruca, nephews Jack Sardegna (Kim) and Juan J. Txurruka (Jeri), niece Stephanie Ortega (Francisco), cousin Jenny Paloumpis (Tom) and many other nieces/nephews and grandnieces/grandnephews.
Jose arrived in Tampa (1950s) to continue his career as a professional Jai Alai player. He wore number 28 and played the front court position in what is known as “the fastest sport in the world.” During the off-season, Jose worked at Castellano Grocery, owned by his in-laws. After retiring from Jai Alai (1969), he would eventually run the family business and was well respected and loved by the community he served for nearly 30 years.
During Jose’s playing days, he was popular and had many fans, but none bigger than his family. He was a true gentleman, a great singer (Basque folk songs), a talented gardener and handyman, surprisingly witty, and loved unconditionally.
Special thanks to Maria D., Maria B., Isabel, Isel, Dayana, Barbara, Cari, Yari, Judy and William for the exceptional care provided to Jose over the past year.
Public Visitation/Celebration of Life will be held on Thursday, June 26, 2025, from 5:30pm -7:30pm at Boza & Roel Funeral Home, 4730 N Armenia Ave, Tampa, FL 33603.
You may honor Jose’s memory by making a charitable donation to the Byrd Institute at USF using the following link https://giving.usf.edu/online/gift/f/250148/
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