Raúl Carvajal López, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather, passed away on Saturday, September 7, 2024, at 2:25 p.m. surrounded by his family, and with a beautiful view of the James River.
Our father loved to prank his children, even if he was the only one left laughing. He loved music—owning over 1,000 CDs of different genres, mainly salsa, merengue, bolero, and trío romántico. His favorite show was Star Trek but he also was an avid fan of the Three Stooges, M*A*S*H, The Lawrence Welk Show, Hee-Haw, and Sábado Gigante. He wore his hair like Elvis Presley because his wife was a fan. He never wore jeans, shorts, or sneakers but owned multiple guayaberas. He loved vanity plates on his cars. He was a proud boricua and Veteran, who served two tours in Vietnam.
Raúl was predeceased by his parents, Ramón Carvajal Pradett and Nicolasa (Nieves) López; his biological mother, Micaela Toledo Delgado; his sisters, Elizabeth and Iris; and his eldest son, Raúl Carvajal Kim. He is survived by his beloved wife of 60 years, Un Nam Kim Carvajal; five daughters: Teresita Dias; Migdalia (Darrell) Winchell; Ermelinda (Reynold) Kraft; Norma Carvajal; and Yolanda Carvajal; youngest son: Luis (Katherine) Carvajal-Kim; his aunt, Rosa; and siblings, Rosa and Mateo. Raúl was a proud grandfather to four granddaughters—Cristina, Katharine, Eva, and Stella; two grandsons—Ethan and Landon; and two great grandsons—Andrew and Logan.
Our family is forever in debt to the staff of Bon Secours Mary Immaculate Hospital and the hospice staff of the Hampton VA Medical Center who helped our father have a peaceful and painless passing. Raúl will be laid to rest at the Arlington National Cemetery in honor of his 21-year service with the U.S. Army.
Raúl and his family traversed the globe from Puerto Rico, South Korea, Germany, and multiple spots across the United States before settling in Virginia. He took life’s ups and downs with a smile, and did his best to take things in stride. To quote one of his favorite singers, the great Celia Cruz: Ríe, llora, que a cada cuál le llega su hora, ríe, llora, vive tu vida y gózala toda.
