Juan Antonio Turro

In remembrance of Juan's life, the family asks that any charitable donations be made to one of the following organizations he supported and that were close to his heart. Guitars Over Guns: https://guitarsoverguns.networkforgood.com/projects/118962-juan-turros-memorial Paw Patrol Animal Rescue: https://pawpatrolanimalrescue.com/ St. Brendan High School Annual Fund: http://weblink.donorperfect.com/AF2021-SabreFund Juan A. Turro, accomplished sound engineer and project manager, passed away suddenly from a heart attack at the age of 52 in Wyoming last month, where he had been living the past year. Turro was the middle child of Juan "Johnny" Turro and Florinda "Flory" (Maldonado) Gonzalez. He was born and raised in Miami, Florida where he attended St. Theresa School in Coral Gables, FL from kindergarten to 8th grade, served as an altar boy at St. Theresa Catholic Church, and later graduated from St. Brendan High School in '86. From an early age, Turro was surrounded by music. Music from his parents' era, including Cuban, Spanish, and American music from the 50s and 60s, was always playing in the house. He also absorbed a love for contemporary music like rock, jazz, funk, and disco, from his older sister Ana. Like his mother and sister, Turro was also a shutterbug from a young age. His many family trips to explore Florida and visit other family in Spain planted seeds that would grow into a lifelong love of travel. As early as high school, Turro became a fixture of the local entertainment scene. His career began in his teen years when he worked as a local DJ. Within a few years, he had moved on to what would later be his career. By the young age of 19, he was working as the sound engineer for the iconic Club Nu in South Beach and working with well-known celebrities of the era such as Muhammad Ali, Grace Jones, and KC and the Sunshine Band. During his early career, Turro's hunger for adventure was fed by all the travel that came with his line of work. A favorite location of his was Aruba, where he loved to dive and snorkel. It was there that he had one of several opportunities to work with Celia Cruz. He would later get the honor of working on her last public appearance and tribute in Miami just before her passing. His career led him to work a seemingly countless number of other incredible events as well, from live events to TV productions. He worked with famous musicians like Beyonce, Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez, and Gloria Estefan. He managed sound for international figures like the Dalai Lama and under multiple presidents of the United States and presidential candidates, including Presidential Dinners, Inauguration Balls, and National Conventions. He also worked on a variety of huge events such as the Grammys, Billboard Awards, VMAs, and was even a project manager for the Super Bowl. Recently, he was an essential team member of the Amparo Experience, an interactive theatre experience portraying the lives of the Arechabala family, who owned a rum distillery in Cuba during the communist takeover of the island. Juan was the Project Manager and ran the sound for all the stages. Yvette Betancourt, his partner and soulmate, notes, "This was absolutely one of his favorite projects due to its proximity to his heart for his parent's homeland. He loved to share pictures of ‘La Moderna Poesia', a famous bookstore in Havana that his grandfather shared ownership in. The stage team had the photo placed in one of the stages as a prop. He really loved that". Along with his love for his family and his family's history, his son Evan remembers, "The biggest thing that we learned from him is how important it is to take time to find yourself in travel. He worked incredibly hard at work but took travel just as seriously. He had a remarkable eye for finding beauty wherever we were through the lens of his camera." During a 2015 trip to Africa, a favorite trip of his, he took striking photos of wildlife while on a safari tour. Turro's ability to keep a cool head under pressure really shined on this trip after his camp was ransacked by a baboon with a taste for coffee creamer. In early 2020, he moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, with Yvette Betancourt, to find new adventures. They recently bought a tiny camper to travel throughout the Rocky Mountains where he liked to photograph wildlife and relax in the wilderness. When at home, the couple often rode their bikes around town and frequented Grand Teton Park, where they liked to picnic on the Snake River. It's the spot where Turro's children and Betancourt remembered him last week. "I chose this spot on the Snake River where Juan and I would ride 15 miles from town and pack a lunch. We never got tired of this ride and the days were always breathtaking. Sharing a moment of peace and tranquility and sharing memories of Juan brought me much comfort," Betancourt said. "I threw a couple of rolled-up photos of Juan with his kids and me into the Snake River, which runs through Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington through some of the most pristine landscapes in the world," she said. "I thought he might like that journey." Betancourt says about Turro, "Juan knew how to live in the moment. I saw him dive into the present in ways that few people can. Whether it was sitting by a river talking to me, or while walking our dog or helping a friend in need, he seemed to be happy with that moment and his role in it", she says, "For me, as a dreamer and a planner, this helped me stay centered", she commented. "Anyone who knows us knows we bickered about silly things, but his love for me always hovered in the air and I soaked it in every day as a source of strength", she added. In addition to Betancourt, Turro is survived by his mother Flory (Maldonado) Gonzalez, sister Ana Harris, brother Alex Turro, two children, Evan and Elisa, and former spouse Diana Rizo-Rodriguez. Juan adored animals and is also survived by his Chi-Terrier, Pepper Turro. Wally and Luna, his Basset Hounds, are lying next to him watching TV in heaven, along with his father, Johnny Turro.