Obituary of Felix Anthony Estevez, IV.
Felix Anthony Estevez, IV, 32, of North Las Vegas, NV passed away on October 14th, 2024. A visitation will be held at South Plainfield Funeral Home, 2456 Plainfield Avenue, South Plainfield, NJ, on Saturday, November 2, 2024 from 12 PM to 4 PM and on Sunday, November 3, 2024, from 10 AM to 2 PM. Funeral Services will be held in the funeral home on Sunday, beginning at 1:45 PM, and concluding with Military Honors. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the U.S. Air Rescue Association.
On Nov. 6th, 1991, Felix (known to family as “Anthony” or “Lil’ Ant”) was born in Livingston, NJ to Felix A. Estevez, III and Melanie I. Estevez. He attended St. Anthony’s School (Elizabeth, NJ) and Westfield Public Schools, graduating in 2010. He was a member of the Boy Scouts of America from 4th - 10th grade. He completed one year of college at Union County College in NJ prior to enlisting in the U.S. Air Force on Nov 9th, 2014.
During his nearly 10 years of active duty, Felix was stationed at Kadena AFB (Okinawa, Japan), RAF Lakenheath (England), Aviano AB (Italy), and most recently at Nellis AFB (Las Vegas, NV). Felix completed Airmen Leadership School (2018) and later received an Associate’s degree in Aircraft Maintenance Technology (2020). He was promoted to Staff Sergeant on April 1st, 2019 and served as Flying Crew Chief (FCC) within the 355 Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Nellis AFB.
As part of his service, Felix deployed to Jordan and Iraq. He was awarded 13 awards and decorations including small arms expert marksmanship, medals for Good Conduct and dedication to service, and the Air and Space Commendation Award. At the time of his passing, Felix’s title was Aircraft Debrief Technician and he had been in transition from the Air Force to the Army to fulfill his ultimate dream of becoming an Army Aviator.
A multi-talented athlete and artist, Felix excelled in football, baseball, basketball, martial arts, boxing, golf, and even bowling. His passions included collecting and customizing cars, motorcycles, and guns. He enjoyed playing video games and tinkering with home projects. Felix met Jolise V. Aponte prior to his departure from NJ for Air Force basic training in 2014. They married on July 21st, 2017 in Ship Bottom, NJ, where they vowed to squeeze every ounce of adventure and happiness out of life. Together, they traveled the globe -- snowboarding or riding motorcycles-- and were lovingly known as Bonnie & Clyde.
Felix is survived by his wife, Jolise, parents, and younger sister, Gabriella C. Estevez, and two pit bulls, Kano & Kye. He will be missed by his extensive family and countless friends. He is proudly remembered as a loving, compassionate man with warm hazel eyes who always sported his signature smile and contagious laugh. Since childhood, Felix marched to his own beat in life but never forgot to bring the humor.