08.10.11
SANTA FE SPRINGS - Former Mayor Gustavo "Gus" Velasco died Friday morning from liver disorder at his home surrounded by his family, city officials said.
He was diagnosed with cryptogenic cirrhosis (end-condition liver disease) five weeks ago, the family said.
It came as a astonish since Velasco, 71, was not a drinker, nor did he have hepatitis C, which are the accustomed causes, Velasco's son, Paul, said earlier this week.
"He was surrounded by his people and went peacefully," Paul Velasco wrote in an email communiqu to this newspaper.
"I'm sure many of your readers will be saddened by the expos, but hopefully it will also call to mind many wonderful memories of their friendships and experiences with my pater," he added.
Velasco served two four-year terms on the Municipality Council, including two stints as mayor, before announcing he would not run for a third one.
"Gus' contributions to the community were innumerable and the futile left in his absence is profound," City Executive Thaddeus McCormack
Source: Whittier Daily News