Obituary

On July 27, 2024, Justo Yglesias, Jr. passed away peacefully at the age of 99. A beloved father, grandfather and great grandfather, the man known fondly as “Tito” was also an outstanding professional athlete and a fantastic cook. He pitched and played second base AAA for the Brooklyn Dodgers and was on his way up to the Major Leagues when he sustained a career ending hand injury. Not to be deterred, he went on to play professional soccer for several NY teams, long before soccer was a popular American sport. Strangely, he found baseball a bit slow to watch on TV. But up until his final days, he enjoyed watching Spanish soccer games  most days on TV.  He could regale us with stories of baseball, soccer and life in Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill, NY.

Descended from parents from the fishing villages of Galicia, Spain, good food was always part of Tito’s life. He was a terrific cook and no one made a better veal cutlet than Tito. After his athletic career ended, he co-owned, with his father and brother, the Maple Cafeteria and Bar in “DUMBO”.  He went on to work for Con Edison and retire from the Power Authority of New York.

He was a life long member of Casa Galicia de Unidad Gallega and La Universal Masonic Lodge 751, both in NYC. Casa Galicia was where he met his wife, Sabina at a dance. Although he was not a religious man, he was the most ethical person you could meet and he taught his children the importance of hard work and doing the right thing by others.

He loved living in Brooklyn, having grown up in Cobble Hill and then raising his family in Bay Ridge.  He reluctantly moved to Rockville Centre, NY in the 1990’s to be closer to his adult children and grandchildren.

A voracious reader of the NYTimes and local newspapers he kept abreast of politics and never missed casting a ballot his entire life.  He worried about the growing threat of Trumpism and fascism in America and regretted not seeing Trump held accountable for trying to steal the 2020 election.

Tito is predeceased by the love of his life, his wife of 59 years, Sabina and also their son, Paul. He is survived by his son Alan (Jeanne), daughter Jean (Tony), 5 grandchildren: Justin (Ashlee), Allison (Jim), Jay (Stephanie), Olivia (Matt) and Luke and 4 great grandchildren: Maddie, Ruby, Bennett and Isla and his sole remaining sibling, Mary Cordero.

Of all his accomplishments, Tito’s love for his family was perhaps his greatest.