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Sergio De La Fuente: Activist. Free spirit. Father. Friend. Born May 15, 1935, in Talcahuano, Chile; died June 29, 2021, in Port Moody, B.C., of heatstroke; aged 86.

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Sergio De La Fuente.Courtesy of family

Sergio De La Fuente often answered the phone, “Aloha, Vino Tinto!” which roughly translates to “Hello, red wine!” Even at 86, he was always ready for a glass of red. Sergio had an enthusiasm for life that belied many of the difficulties he endured.

Sergio was born out of wedlock in a small fishing town in Chile. He never met his mother, and his father placed him for adoption, although they maintained a relationship until his father died when Sergio was 12. Sergio did not like to talk about his childhood except to say it was a time in his life that he preferred to forget.

His early challenges helped him grow into a man driven to change the outcomes for the poor and disenfranchised. As a young man, he joined the Socialist Party of Chile and became the leader of his local chapter. He also became a father to four boys with his common-law partner and had another son from his first marriage. When a military dictatorship took hold in Chile in 1973, Sergio was forced to leave his country, his children and his partner. He fled to Peru where he continued his activism against another military regime. He feared deportation and arrest so much that when shot in the leg during a protest, he wouldn’t seek treatment at the hospital to avoid officials.

In 1977, Sergio immigrated to Canada as a refugee. He moved to Edmonton with Ana, his pregnant Peruvian wife, and their daughters, Monica and Ana Maria. The extreme cold of his first Edmonton winter was a huge shock. On a bitterly cold December day, he received a call at work that his wife had gone into labour. Since his car wouldn’t start, Sergio walked to the hospital to meet his wife and soon-be-born daughter, Yvonne, and arrived with a mild case of frostbite.

Despite the weather, Sergio said Canada gave him the life of his dreams. He admired its principles of social justice and felt fortunate to have the freedom not to be persecuted for his political beliefs.

He was also determined to give his daughters the childhood that he didn’t have: birthday parties at McDonald’s, trips to amusement parks and lots of visits to the toy store. But he could not afford everything. In the 1980s, when his daughters wanted to get their pictures taken at Sears, Sergio made his own portrait studio at home. Using a big blue curtain as a backdrop and a few lamps for lighting, his daughters dressed up and excitedly posed for their “professional” photos.

Sergio worked in the construction business as a journeyman carpenter. He often pointed out the projects he helped construct in the city. His love of building would later inspire his youngest daughter to pursue a career in architecture.

After he retired, Sergio wrote for the Spanish language newspaper Tribuna Latina and acted as its director for more than 10 years. Working at the paper invigorated him and gave him an outlet to express his creativity and voice.

Retirement also signalled a new chapter in his personal life. He separated and later divorced his wife of more than 25 years, and in what he’d later describe as a surprise twist, found love again in his 70s.

He reconnected with Norma, an old acquaintance, and they shared a love of tango and volunteered for their seniors association. They lived together for more than 15 years, and Sergio became Norma’s caregiver when she was diagnosed with dementia.

On his own again, Sergio moved to Port Moody, B.C., to live close to the sea and be near his eldest daughter. But in June, 2021, he died during a heat wave, along with hundreds of others. His family is calling on the provincial and federal governments to educate Canadians on the life-threatening dangers of heat so more people do not die in the future.

Ana Maria De La Fuente is Sergio’s daughter.

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Lives Lived celebrates the everyday, extraordinary, unheralded lives of Canadians who have recently passed. To learn how to share the story of a family member or friend, go to tgam.ca/livesguide

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