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Last January, Carrillo was rushed to the emergency room after stitches on his leg became infected. Shortly after, he lost his right leg and it slowed him down as he recovered at a nursing home. Cortez remembers watching "Jeopardy!" and spending time with Carrillo during their anniversary as she tried her best to comfort him.

It wasn’t until months later in April that Cortez was running down the block, catching up to Carrillo as he zoomed away in his electric wheelchair, thrilled to feel the sun on his face again.

Carrillo came to the United States as a migrant worker, leaving his wife behind to carve a better life for them, without knowing his wife was pregnant. The couple and their baby finally reunited and settled in Kenosha, where Carrillo commuted to Janesville for his new job at General Motors.

They grew their family and ended up having three children — Alex Carrillo, Leo Carrillo and Julie Henry — and six grandchildren: Nicholas, Yuna, Alexis, Justin, Josephine and Amira. Before his death, he also welcomed a great-grandchild into the world, Freyja. He was preceded in death by his infant children, Julieta and David, along with his parents and brother.

Carrillo ended up in the hospital again in November for gallbladder pain where he stayed until his passing.

“Any time I had the chance, I would lay down with him and try to comfort him,” Cortez said.

Carrillo worked at GM for 30 years and during that time, he went to the Milwaukee School of Engineering, retiring as an electrical engineer with the company.

After retiring, he started working for the Janesville School District as an aid and a Latino Student Advocate. His favorite subjects to mentor were math and science.

Previous Parker High School student Cinthia Tellez remembers Carrillo for his stubbornness, as he would never let his students fall through the cracks. He would tell students about his upbringing to show them that they could persevere through difficulties.

“He showed us that with the right support, we could do anything we set our minds to,” Tellez said.

Carrillo was a part of the United Migrant Opportunities Services in Milwaukee, where he brought six students to their annual gala one year, including Tellez. She remembers feeling so out of place, being dressed up and attending a sophisticated event.

“He told us, it may not initially feel like these spaces are for you, but you belong in these spaces,” Tellez said. “He was an amazing guy who never asked us for anything.”

Some of Carrillo’s student’s weren’t sure if they would ever go to college due to their immigration status, but he helped them ask the right questions to find out what they could do. “He got angry with us, and showed us how to turn that anger into action,” Tellez said.

According to his daughter, Julie, her father taught his family that “no” or “I can’t” was not an option. He taught his children and grandchildren to be humble, be servants of the community, and to have a work ethic that goes beyond expectations, she said.

“He was a dedicated man. Dedicated to his family, his faith, his community and to education,” Henry said.

Carrillo was a leader who cherished serving the Janesville community. He was once president of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, a trustee of the Hedberg Public Library, and a member of the following organizations: Diversity Action Team of Rock County, UAW Local 95, Badger Council of Girls Scouts, Rock County Partners in Prevention, Rock University High School, Global Wisconsin Inc., and Visitors for the UW System.

Fellow Diversity Action Team of Rock County board member and friend Santo Carfora would bring communion to Carrillo’s home on Sundays and try to lift his spirits during rough times.

“He was a very loving, caring, open man. But he was also very direct and honest,” Carfora said. “He was an equity warrior for Latinos and all people.”

He also served on the State of Wisconsin Prison Industries Board and was a City of Janesville Board of Review member.

Carrillo was a co-founder of the Martin Luther King Jr. commemoration at Blackhawk Technical College, which takes place this Saturday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at 6004 S County Road G, Janesville. He was also a past recipient of the MLK Service Award.

As an active community member, Carrillo still made his family feel special.

Throughout their marriage, Carrillo would dedicate songs to Cortez such as Cómo Han Pasado los Años by Rocío Dúrcal which had romantic lines such as: “how the years have passed, how things changed, and here we are side by side, like two lovers, like the first time.”

Carrillo loved his wife’s long hair and always reminded her of how beautiful she was, no matter how much she tried to deny his compliments. Cortez cut off 6 inches of her hair and had it placed into Carrillo’s bright green casket, so he would have a piece of her.

Carrillo is missed dearly by his family, friends, and community members who have all been positively impacted by his years of service and devotion to social justice and mentorship.

“I am very honored to call him dad and I miss him terribly,” Henry said.