Felipe ?Pepe? Chavez, a permanent fixture in every edition of the then annual multi-stage cycling races, is gone.
Pepe, to race participants, fellow officials and media men covering the bikathon whether the the old Tour of Luzon, Tour ng Pilipinas or later the Marlboro Tour, or ?Kapitan,? to his constituents in Barangay Emmanuel in Cuenca town in Batangas, passed away Friday last week, March 16, 2018, following a transplant operation.
One of his daughters, Lea, said in a long distance call to this writer that her father suffered complications after surgery held at Mediatrix Hospital in Lipa City, that affected his kidney and caused his death.
Pepe is survived by by his wife Anita, children Hermogenes, Hilario, Marilou, Joven, Reynante, Rona and Ryan, grandchildren and other relatives.
Pepe?s remains had been lying in state at the family residence in Barangay Emmanuel and will be transferred early today to the St. Isidore Parish in Cuenca where a Requiem Mass will be beheld at noon.
Interment will follow at 1 .m. at St. Basil Memorial Park, also in Cuenca.
Pepe served the sport he loved in different capacity as marshal, race director, finish line official, chief inspector and even media coordinator.
When the summer spectacle called ?The Tour? disappeared from the local sports calendar, Pepe organized and conducted week day races in his town and province until a few years ago, in order, he said, to give the cyclists something to earn from in their idle time.
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