Anibal Ballester

Anibal Ballester passed away at his home in Plantation Key, Florida, with his beloved wife, Adelaida, at his side.

Anibal, baptized as Juan Anibal, was born and raised in San Sebastian, Puerto Rico. His parents, Juan Bautista Ballester and Josefa Cruz, died when he was about one year of age. He was then cared for by his godmother, Eufracia Cardé. During his childhood, Anibal lived with his older siblings. He enjoyed summers with his maternal grandfather. His native Puerto Rico held many dear memories, including the birth of his three sons from his first marriage.

He pursued a career in mathematics education and taught for the University of Puerto Rico at the Mayaguez Campus. After completing his military service, he obtained a master’s degree from the University of Miami, Florida, and continued his studies at Florida State University in Tallahassee. Ultimately, he accepted a position in the Department of Mathematics at Miami Dade College, Kendall Campus. He was a dedicated teacher highly respected by his colleagues and students.

He built a house in the Redlands, Miami-Dade County, Florida, where he cultivated an avocado grove and loved riding his Paso Fino horse.  He also found great pleasure cruising on his sailboat in the waters of Biscayne Bay, the Florida Keys, and the Bahamas.

After retirement, Anibal’s love for the sea led him to move to Plantation Key, Florida. There he participated with family and friends in his favorite water sports: sailing, windsurfing, and snorkeling. His outgoing personality and curiosity led neighbors to nickname him the “Mayor of Mohawk,” after the street where he lived. Dancing was another one of his passions; he often drove with his wife to Key West to dance to the rhythms of the band, “Caribe of Key West” playing at “El Meson de Pepe’s Casa Cayo Hueso Restaurant.”

Anibal is survived by Adelaida, his wife of 43 years, his three sons, Jose Anibal, Carlos and wife Shelly, Jorge and wife Yvonne, granddaughter Maya, the mother of his children, Carmen, brother-in-law Miguel and wife Alicia, sister-in-law Marta Elena and husband Michael, mother-in-law “Mima”, step niece Maritza and husband Juan Carlos and their three daughters, Rebecca, Teresa, and Camila, along with nieces, nephews, and cousins. He will be missed by a grateful family and by all his dear friends and neighbors.