Mora was like that, said his friend, Isai Frometa: Talkative, friendly, joyful.
Mora Sr., 80, was found dead after the collapse of Champlain Tower South in Surfside. His wife, 70-year-old Ana Mora and their son, 32-year-old Juan Mora Jr., also were found dead. Miami officials announced their deaths last week.
Mora Sr. was a radio operator during the Bay of Pigs, for which he served some time in prison before moving to the U.S. He was in sales before he retired – although Frometa, who met Mora Sr. more than 10 years ago through their church, said he stayed busy.
“Just to give you an idea of how Juan (Sr.) was known: I was in a hardware store and three gentlemen were talking and said, ‘Hey, do you know Juan Mora?’ ” Frometa said. “Everybody knows Juan!”