On April 5, 2020, the Hermanos of Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc. learned of the passing of Hermano Manuel Gomez (Spring 2010, Beta Zeta Chapter Founder at Johnson and Wales University) as a result of COVID-19.

It goes without saying the loss of this young life at 28 years of age, during such an unprecedented time, has tremendously impacted his family, friends and our Hermandad.

Hermano Manny was a role model touching the hearts of all he met. Every Hermano having the pleasure of meeting and knowing Manny speaks of his impact, his commitment, his leadership.

Hermanos close to Manny stepped up to assist and provide support to his mother and family in the development of a GoFundMe page and coordination of funeral and burial arrangements. Funds raised surpassed their goal and will provide support and relief to his mother who has also been managing ongoing complicated health issues of her own.

Our Hermandad mourns the loss of our Hermano and sends our deepest condolences and prayers to his family, chapter brothers and friends. We also wish continued peace to his mother.

With the heaviest of hearts, we inform our Hermandad that one of our Founding Fathers, Edwin Rivera, has passed away.

Hermano Edwin Rivera unexpectedly passed on August 1, 2020. He was a leader through example and a consistently driven and upbeat person who always put the needs of others first. What makes this news harder to bear is that Hermano Edwin participated in our virtual national convention the week earlier, actively recounting the formation of La Unidad Latina, listening attentively to our State of La Fraternidad address and enthusiastically expressing the love for the fraternity he helped create.

During convention, Hermano Edwin was asked what was one of his proudest moments for the fraternity he helped found and his response was a reflection of the gentle and kind man many grew to love. Hermano Edwin responded, “The proudest moment I have is knowing that I am an Hermano to over 3,000 men who believe in the power of our community.”

Hermano Edwin is survived by a loving wife of 34 years, Leonor, two sons Sean & Jordan, his father Edwin S. and sisters Eileen, Sandra, Mildred, Caroline and Suzanne.

Edwin was a caring father, amazing husband, wonderful brother, dedicated son and inspiring friend. He found time to lead innovation and engineering efforts with Delphi Technologies, worked with his wife in Worldwide Marriage Encounter (wwme.org) and mentored local FIRST robotics teams and organizations.

In addition to the foundation he laid for La Fraternidad, Hermano Edwin was involved as a board member with Ibero-American Action League helping to elevate underserved communities in the Rochester area. He and his wife also wrote a monthly marriage blog for the Catholic Courier called To Have and To Hold at https://catholiccourier.com/viewpoints/blogs/to-have-and-to-hold.

On December 15, 2021, our fraternity lost one of our beloved Hermanos, Willy A. Rivas.

Willy was a gentle soul with a giving heart. His love for his family, his community, and his fraternity was profound.  We are deeply mourning the loss of our friend and Hermano. There are few words to express the pain and sorrow we feel.

Willy was one of our most active Hermanos, rising to various roles of leadership. His commitment to our organization was powerful. Willy’s leadership was recognized as an undergraduate, where he served as his chapter’s secretary, historian, and president. Willy’s determination to serve our fraternity at a national level grew as he held the roles of Regional Director, Vice President of our National Council and eventually being selected to lead our fraternity as National Council President. His love for our fraternity continued to expand and our hermandad rewarded him by electing Willy to serve on our Board of Directors where he eventually became our Chairman. Willy was special. He was a servant leader who aimed to support and befriend those with whom he connected. Throughout his years as an Hermano and leader Willy was also instrumental in cultivating and strengthening our relationship with the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations (NALFO) and partner organizations.

Although Willy’s life ended before we were ready, the time that Willy spent in our lives was memorable and full of joy. As Hermanos, his legacy will live within us, but as Hermanos, we have dedicated ourselves to support our Hermandad. His wife Maria and children are part of our Hermandad and we are here to step in to support his family as Willy has supported ours. Join us in Remembering and Honoring Willy Rivas.

With sadness in our hearts, we find solace in knowing that Willy is in a better place. In our lives, there have been few people as special as Willy. Willy was someone that we felt deeply connected to, and even though he is gone now, we will feel his presence Para Siempre.

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