Jaime Puente, loving husband, father, and grandfather died on Monday, October 19, 2020, at the age of 66, after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. Jaime, born January 20, 1954, in Harlingen, Texas, moved to Chicago at 11 and then the Rockford area in 1976. He is survived by his adoring family, who treasured his wit, calm, leadership and laugh. Jaime had many passions, especially music. He was a talented guitarist who collaborated with many different musicians in his life and was a long-standing member of the band The Edge. He instilled in his children a deep appreciation for a variety of genres, especially rock, blues, and jazz. He loved to travel and share adventures with his wife, Nola, whom he openly and wholly adored. He loved good food, wine, and smoking meats. He was clever and handy, always teaching his kids along the way. Highly intelligent, bilingual, and hardworking, Jaime earned a bachelor’s degree and two master’s degrees during his career working at Sundstrand /UTAS, with positions starting in the shop progressing to upper level management. He was a teacher, mentor, and role model to many during his career. It was impossible to spend time with Jaime without appreciating his unique temperament; he was lively and comedic with an infectious, wholehearted laugh, yet was also steadfast, calm, consistent, and sturdy. He loved his five children and nine grandchildren immensely, and never missed an opportunity to show his love to each of them and appreciate their unique qualities. Jaime was a devoted follower of Jesus, and taught by example the importance of unconditional love, generosity, and grace.
Jaime is survived by his wife, Nola (ne Belke); his five children, Michelle (Jason) Weeks, Adrian Puente, Cory Matczak, Rayna (Christopher) Styles and Neicy (Charlie) O’Malley; his nine grandchildren, Gwendolyn, Elijah, Myah, Emma, Sophia, Grace, Owen, Emily and Mila; his parents Isabel and Sofia Puente; his sister, Cindy (Danny) Garcia; and numerous nephews, cousins, and devoted friends.
The family would like to extend a special thank you for the care they received from Journeycare Hospice in Barrington. No service planned at this time, but a Celebration of Life will be planned in the future. In lieu of flowers memorials may be directed to Literacy Council, 928 N. Main Street, Rockford, Illinois.
For further information please call the funeral home at 847-515-8772 or online condolences may be directed to www.defiorefuneral.com
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I am soooo sorry for your families loss. Jamie was such a wonderful person. He truly made the world a better place with how he always kept life in perspective, always positive. No matter how difficult something was he always made it seem less dire and that we would get thru it. I enjoyed my opportunities to travel and work with him, they were very impactful with a number of key lessons learned All of Rockford is so sad and sorry.
Sending our love to you all. Jaime truly was loads of fun and a wonderful person! We will truly miss him.
I am so saddened to hear of the loss of Jaime. He was such a kind, caring and intelligent man. My husband and I both worked with Jaime for many years and it was a joy to have him as a coworker and a friend. He always happily shared his wisdom and knowledge. A true gentleman. The Sullins family hold your family closely in our thoughts and prayers. Peace be with you all.
My heart goes out to the Puente family
The day I found out Jaime was ill and battling cancer, I prayed and prayed and it saddened me. I never expected his battle to end so quickly. I thought we would have more time with him. Remembering his last visit and our chats and how much fun we alway had when he was around, always brings a smile to my face and a warmth in my heart. I still can’t believe he’s gone and I’m so sorry for the loss of a wonderful man. You will always be in my prayers. My thoughts and prayers to the family.
Our heartfelt condolences to all of the family. I always looked up to him growing up. God bless him. May the Good Lord bring peace, comfort and strength to the family. We love you. Jim
To Jaime’s family~ our deepest sympathies. A well lived life cut way short. May your treasured memories sustain you during this time of unspeakable loss. Love and prayers
I have never met a person that brought so much calm and a sense of peace to others than Jaime. From the moment I met him I looked forward to being in his presence. This wonderful man also had a great sense of humor with a childish, mischievous side to him that made him so much fun to be around with. His children, grandchildren and his wife Nola were his life and his love. I am proud of Jaime and proud to be his friend . I thank the good Lord for giving me the opportunity to have met him and to get to know him. I will miss my best friend more than I can express in words. To Nola, his children, grandchildren, parents and siblings, I am sorry for our loss but there is no doubt he is sitting beside the Lord looking down proudly and lovingly on you with his big smile and saying “Orale”. With my deepest condolences, God bless you all and thank you Jaime. You will forever live in my heart and the many beautiful memories that you left us.
The distance and years between us have not lessened the pain we feel. We loved him and have been flooded with memories reminding us of the wonderful friend he had always been. We regret that we can’t be there for the funeral. But, please know that your family is in our thoughts and prayers.
Jaime; We will hold you in our hearts until we can hold you in Heaven. With all the fun & laughter we shared; I never thought there would be more tears. How could it be that such a gentle & loving soul be taken from us so soon. From one vacation to the next; to different countries, states, cities & even in the comfort of our own homes we shared such fun times. There is a special place in my heart that holds the memories of all the love, fun, laughter, family times, good food, wine & music & so much more. I feel so very blessed & honored to have been in the midst of your life. Your friendship was a gift from God & the love you had for Nola, your children & grandchildren was evident & priceless. May you rest in paradise my friend & May our Lord bring comfort & peace to all our broken hearts. With my deepest condolences to Nola and the entire Puente family.
My sincere condolences in the loss of Jaime. I had the pleasure of working with him at Hamilton Sundstrand and he was a great mentor, coach and friend! With his quick wit, he could always make a stressful situation seem a little less so! I will miss that about him. My prayers are with you during this difficult time!
I am very sorry for the loss of Jaime. He was a wonderful coworker and person. He was always positive and uplifting, and I always looked forward to bumping into him in the halls at Plant 6, even after he retired. He will be greatly missed by many!
RIP Buddy
Nola, Jaime was a one of special kind. You and his family are in our thoughts and prayers. Love you Nola. Joe and Maureen Rekemeyer
My heartfelt condolences to Jaime's family. Jaime was a friend and mentor to me. I'm so grateful that he was a part of my life for many years. He always kept a cool head and was able to manage tough situations by his intelligence and great sense of humor. I'm so glad that I was able to have a final conversation with him a few weeks ago. He will be so missed. God Bless.
I am so sorry to hear of Jaime’s passing. Such a wonderful person, he will be missed greatly.
Heaven has gained a beautiful spirit and angel. Words cannot convey the sense of loss that his passing brings. He was such a wonderful friend, and never met a stranger. We met Jaime at the pool where we struck up a conversation involving food and wine. Went to dinner, met Nola, and immediately felt we had known them forever. Jaime will forever be in my thoughts/heart anytime Group Therapy plays/practices music, drink wines/bourbon, eat certain foods, or just laugh (his laugh and humor were contagious). He will be deeply missed. Heartfelt condolences to the entire family but especially to his love Nola.
It is not often to encounter such and interesting and wonderful person such as Jaime. From our chance meeting in the pool and conversation quickly evolved into a totally enchanting realization that we had so much in common. Knowing how to play 500 was the uncommon discovery of a game I had so much missed, and then to discover Nola was a fellow 500 playing Iowan. I discovered that mischievous sense of humor after our first get together followed by a man hug goodbye with a leg wrap. We enjoyed a relatively short friendship in the grand scheme of life but had enough time to enjoy fine dining, fine red wines, good bourbon, 500 card games, extensive conversation and golf together. With the advent of Covid, Jaime inspired assembling a band in which Judy enjoyed singing and Nola and I enjoyed listening; we will miss Jaime’s guitar and voice, the band lives on with Judy, Paxton, Steve and Linda still practicing weekly. Jaime my friend, I will miss you!!
My thoughts and prayers are with the family. I was fortunate to work closely with Jaime for many years at Sundstrand/UTAS. He always had a strong work ethic and a positive attitude, I very much valued his friendship. He will surely be missed.
So very sorry for your loss. Both of us had the pleasure of working with Jaime for many years. He was the type of individual that you could easily approach with any work related question, or just for social purposes, or updates about his family , especially his grandchildren. He would always make time for you. A truly good person. He will be missed but never forgotten.
Words are hard to find to extend our empathy and condolences to Nola and all of the family. Jaime’s spirit will live with you forever. Prayers to all of you during this difficult time.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Jaime's family. Jaime will be remembered as the wonderful human being he was. Caring, joyful, friendly, resourceful, smart, reliable, always there for whoever needed him... these are just a few of the words that best describes Jaime. Today we celebrate his life and trust that one day we will see him again. Till then our friend, Silkia and Steve
I am so sorry for your loss. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Puente Family. May you Rest in Paradise Jaime.
I am deeply sorry to hear of Jaime's death. He had indeed an uplifting personality. I will treasure the memories of good conversations and I will specially miss his "Bom dia", which he exercised whenever he found time to stop by my desk and speak a little of Portuguese.... My prayers and thoughts are with your family....
It's very sad that a good friend and such a likeable man has left family and friends much too soon. For a brief time, I had the opportunity to talk about music and play guitar together with Jaime. He was a truly gifted musician. He had a great with and wonderful smile. We will miss him. Our dearest sympathies to Nola and her family. Prayers to all.
I enjoyed working with Jaime over the years and know he will be dearly missed by all he was close to and worked with. I especially appreciated his uplifting spirit. So hard to believe he has passed so young. My prayers go out to Jaime’s family,
I enjoyed working with Jaime over the years and know he will be dearly missed by all he was close to and worked with. I especially appreciated his uplifting spirit. So hard to believe he has passed so young. My prayers go out to Jaime’s family,
Sending our condolences and hugs to the family,
I'll never forget Jaime's mentorship to me. As a contactor, I found him a steadfast companion as well as an untapped wealth of information and always appreciated his quick wit and laughter. Someday I'll catch up to him to ask why we never talked jazz!
Jaime will be missed so much. He was a truly remarkable in so many ways from his musical talent to his gregarious personality. Jaime had a gift to set any room or any situation at ease with some uniquely Jaime whimsical jest. In his Jim Carey "Let me tell you something...." expression... I cannot count the times when we are sharing some of our best "life moments" with Jaime and he put us in stitches to make that boat or bike trip so much more special. We treasured our time with Jaime and cherish every moment we had with him.
Nola, there are no words to discribe the sorrow we feel at learning of Jaime’s passing. Our love and prayers are with you and the family. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
Nola, I’m at loss for words to describe how heartbroken I am at hearing this news. Jaime was like a brother that I loved and admired. He will be missed. I’m send my prayers and condolences to you and the family. Love to you my friend.
We will always keep Jamie in our memories, he was truly a great person to be around. God bless the whole family.
Jaime was the one person whom truly understood and appreciated my father's (also a musician) definition of music; "The Sonic Manifestation Of Emotion". He said he liked that as did I so like Jaime. He and his musical performances will be sorely missed. Gods speed Jaime!
I am so sorry for your loss. I worked with Jaime and can echo many of the wonderful things already said. He was always ready to assist and encourage. What a loss to the world this is.
My heart goes out to the family...I've not seen Jaime for years. I babysat Michelle and Rick long time ago and can recall his unique temperament mentioned. I recall his calmness with his children he was a good father. I'm sorry to hear of Jamie's passing...My prayers to all of you...
Michelle, it sounds like your father was an amazing man. May you and your family find peace in knowing that he is with his Father in heaven!
The only real sister I have had in this life, Michelle Puente Weeks. I can’t imagine the emotions tracing your heart. You have all of us to comfort you. You’re family. I met Jamie at her wedding. All is remember is he having one of the greatest laughs I’ve ever heard in my life. It’s Michelles laugh. For that I’m grateful. Look to your children and husband and hold them close.
Jaime was a very special person. I never felt alone when I would see him for Thanksgiving dinners every year. He always made me feel welcome. He made me laugh and showed a genuine interest in my life when he would see me more so than my own brother and sisters. He had a great sense of humor and was a kind person. He will surely be missed.
I am so sorry for your loss. I know how hard this is. God will surround you with peace, comfort and love. I love you. Sending hugs and kisses.
I knew Jaime from work and will miss his smile, his warmth and his always friendly "Hello." You should all know how proud he was of each and every one of you - he never failed to mention his kids or grandkids in a conversation. My heart is with you as you remember his life and grieve his loss.
The news of Jaime's passing just breaks our hearts. He was truly everyone's friend. Until we meet in heaven...…...
I am genuinely saddened for the loss of Jaime. Like many of his work colleagues at Sundstrand/UTC, I had the opportunity to know Jaime both professionally and personally. Jaime was an extraordinarily kind person that always brought his best to any endeavor whether it was work or fun. His expertise professionally was outstanding and he always knew how to deal with complex and difficult problems. His passion for music was well known and he shared his talents with all of us and brightened many a day with his contagious smile and laughter. He was truly a special individual that made life a little better when you had the opportunity to spend time with him. God bless Jaime, his loving family and all of his friends coping with the loss of a truly wonderful person.
I am so saddened by hearing the news of Jamie's passing. I worked with Jamie for short periods of time but never once saw his face without a smile. He was always energetic, ready to take actions, courteous, and fun to work with. He will definitely be missed greatly.
My heart is heavy as I share your loss of this beautiful Man of Christ ! I was blessed to know and spend time with he and Nola recently in Arizona, where we truly got to know each other and share precious time , laughs, good food and drink and our mutual Christian beliefs. My Sincere sympathy to Nola, and extended family for your loss... please know, I share this loss with you . Rest In Peace Jaime. Thank You Heavenly Father for giving us this wonderful man.
I was truly saddened to hear of Jaime's passing. He was one of the kindest, funniest, down-to-earth, and genuine persons that I've had the pleasure of meeting. His love for his family was ubiquitous and abundant. I am so very sorry for your loss. I will be keeping you in my thoughts and in my heart.
May the comfort and support of those who love you, along with the memories... give you strength at this difficult time. With our sincere Sympathy.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Nola and the entire family. I had the pleasure of working with Jaime starting at Sundstrand in the early 80's. He was always a thoughtful, patient and genuinely kind person with a great wit about him. I had fond memories of our fishing trips to Canada. He will be greatly missed but, in time, the legacy and wonderful memories he left behind will always be cherished by his friends and family. He's now in a place that is filled with love, joy and eternal life.