Gabriel Valdes Ynocencio

FONTANA – Gabriel Valdes Ynocencio, 89, passed away on July 12, 2025.

Interment for Mr. Ynocencio will begin at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, August 15, 2025, at Bay Pines National Cemetery, 10000 Bay Pines Boulevard North, St. Petersburg, FL 33708. He will be honored with a military ceremony and laid to rest alongside his beloved wife of 45 years, Aida Rivera Ynocencio. A Celebration of Life will immediately follow the interment in the St. Petersburg area.

Gabriel was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1935 to the late Julio Valdes and Hortencia Ynocencio. He came to the United States during his late teens.

He married Janet and had his first son, Gabriel, followed by his first daughter, Jassy. After serving, he returned to Tampa for a few years before moving to New York, where he met his second wife, Julia. They married and had his second son, Gabriel, and his second daughter, Miriam. Julia passed away after 10 years of marriage, and Gabriel later married Rose, with whom he had his daughter Lizette.

A true renaissance man, Gabriel pursued many interests and careers. In the 1980s, he became a computer programmer and later the Director of the Programming Institute of NYC. It was during this time that he met and married Aida. He held that position for several years, instilling logic and if/then thinking in his children, before leaving the corporate world to purchase Petzinger’s Liquor Store in Brooklyn, NY. He ran the store alongside his son, “Gabby,” for five years before retiring for the first time.

Not content without his wife at his side, Gabriel re-entered the workforce to join Aida at the United States Coast Guard on Governors Island in NYC. They later retired together to Ocala, FL, where they lived until 2022.

Gabriel’s life was defined by his dedication to learning, financial responsibility, and pursuit of the American dream. Known for his strict values and clear sense of right and wrong, he was passionate about economics and investments. In retirement, he and Aida traveled extensively, visiting destinations around the world including Russia, China, South America, and Europe. Avid cruisers, they enjoyed more than 150 voyages together. They also shared a love for card games, where Gabriel—known for his competitive spirit—was never above bending the rules for a win.

Gabriel was preceded in death by his wife, Aida Rivera Ynocencio; his sons, Gabriel Valdes Ynocencio and Gabriel Valdes Ynocencio (along with his wife, Mary, and their daughter, Julie); his parents, Julio Valdes and Hortencia Ynocencio; his sister, Migdalia; and his brother, Julio Valdes.

He is survived by his sisters, Yolanda Cruz and Ana Julia Schafer; daughters, Jassy Ynocencio, Miriam Ynocencio Luis, and Lizette Mata; granddaughters, Savannah Mata and Kate Cabral; and grandsons, Joseph Ynocencio, Jaye Ynocencio, Evan Cabral, and Devin Mata.

The family wishes to thank the loving staff at Comfort Care for the compassionate care they provided during the final months of his life. Their kindness and support will always be remembered.