Obituary of Otniel E. Viera

Otniel E. Viera, 77, of Vineland, passed away on Wednesday, February 15, 2012. Mr. Viera was born in Armenia, Colombia on July 12, 1934, and lived and traveled internationally during his life. He graduated from Mississippi State University in 1969 with a Bachelors of Science in Agricultural Engineering and later received a Masters of Science from Brazil, also in Agricultural Engineering and he received summa cum laude honors there. He became chief engineer in Honduras' Department of Agriculture's Seed Production Program. He was married to Mariana Flores, of Orocuina, Honduras, for 41 years. They arrived in the United States in 1986, ultimately settling in Vineland, NJ. They were joined by their adult children and their families a few years later. After his first wife passed away, he remarried to Eunice Castillo, a childhood friend, in 1999. She had also been widowed ten years previous. Otniel was actively involved in the community from the time they first arrived in Vineland. He and his family were involved in the formation of two churches, Emmanuel Bible Church and New Hope Baptist Church of Vineland, Inc. He also participated in a number of community programs, including PathStone Corp (formerly Rural Opportunities, Inc.), ESL classes, and at the senior center. He was employed at Wilmad Glass for 20 years. He is survived by three brothers, Teodoro Viera (Edilma) of Vineland, Enoch Viera (Ofirt) of Colombia, and Jorge Eduardo (Esther) of Costa Rica; two sisters, Darda Lopez (Emiro) of Vineland and Maria Hortencia (Ricardo) of Millville; 3 children, Mary Sauceda of Vineland, Pablo Viera (Vema) of Vineland, and Otniel I. Viera (Miriam) of Vineland; six grandchildren, Jeremias Sauceda (Laura) of Iowa, Elena Peeples (Michael) of Mullica Hill, Dehuel Perez Jr. of Costa Rica, Ana Gualan (Roberto) of Vineland, Gabriela Viera of Vineland, and David Viera; four great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews as well his stepchildren in Florida. He was predeceased by his daughter, Ana Tulia Perez (Dehuel) of Honduras in 1987. A viewing will be held on Monday, Feb. 20, from 6-9 pm at DeMarco-Luisi Funeral Home, 2755 S. Lincoln Ave, Vineland. A second viewing will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 21 from 9-11 am at Faith Bible Church, Chestnut Ave, Vineland. Service and burial will follow at 11 am. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to New Hope Baptist Church, Inc. Memorial Fund c/o Omar Rodriguez 2150 S. Union Rd., Vineland, NJ 08361. Please visit our website to send condolences to the family @ dlfuneral.com