The Council has lost a founding member and our Founding Grand Knight, Dr. Juan Jose Alva. Juan was a devout Catholic, and his faith was central to his life. He was ordained as a Carmelite of the Third Order and was devoted to the Virgin Mary. His funeral mass is at St. Thomas More Catholic Church on Monday, 26 August 2024, at 1 p.m. Interment follows at Chapel Hill Memorial Cemetery on Legion Road, Chapel Hill.
We were blessed to have Dr. Alva in our parish and community. He was a quiet, but determined man on a mission to share his life and medical skills with others, especially the immigrants among us and in Argentina. His biography is but a condensed view of his life, mission, and service. His journey was not easy, but his determination to succeed and to make the United States his home is remarkable. It is full of “firsts” as a youth, a student, a medical doctor, an Army Doctor and military conflict doctor, and local family doctor practitioner. But, it is so much more. Here is a link to his story.
We shall miss Juan, but his wonderful wife, Elsa, and family are with us. They invite the parish to join them on Sunday night, August 25th, for the viewing at Hall-Wynne Funeral Home, Durham, from 6-8 p.m. The Holy Rosary will be said at 7 p.m.
The funeral mass is on Monday, August 26th, at Saint Thomas More Catholic Church, 940 Carmichael Street, Chapel Hill. Time for the mass is 1 p.m. Saint Matthews Parish will join us for the funeral mass.
For the honors, the Knights of the Fourth Degree of Durham and Chapel Hill will serve. Members will wear regalia without sword or Baldric. The honor guard teams are requested to arrive at 12:15 p.m. to participate in casket honors.