Luis M Tavares

Luis M Tavares

November 8, 1954 – March 5, 2019

Luis Manuel Tavares went to be with the Lord on March 5, 2019, after succumbing to the torment of mental illness. Luis, aka Louie, will be remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle. A Mr. Fix-It and an avid lover of dancing, disco and good times, Luis was always willing to lend a helping hand.

Luis was born in Frexio de Serra, Portugal, in 1954 before immigrating to the US with his parents Ascencao and Antonio Tavares (both deceased). He grew up in Elizabeth, NJ with his three sisters and brother. Luis always had knack for things mechanical, and pursued a Bachelors and Masters in Engineering at NJIT (formerly Newark College). After a short stint in Rochester, NY working for Kodak, he met the love of his life, Irma Tavares, and they married in 1979. They settled in Scotch Plains, NJ and began their life together.

Luis spent his career as an engineer, project manager, and consultant for Kodak, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, and most recently, Johnson Controls. He and Irma worked side by side through both their careers to raise their children Stephen and Nicole.  He will be remembered for supporting family and friends by solving many of life’s problems, including broken down cars and unkempt houses.

He lost his wife, Irma, in August 2017 and is now reunited with her in heaven. He is survived by his son Stephen and his wife and step-son Christine and Kiah, his daughter Nicole and her partner Shaun, his three sisters - Tess DeAlmeida, Maria Evaristo, Rose Antunes, and his brother Manuel Tavares, as well as the many others who saw him as a father figure, brother, grandfather, and friend.

Luis acted as a support system to his family and showed what it meant to be a great father and husband. He will be greatly missed.

A funeral service will be held at Higgins and Bonner Echo Lake Funeral home, 582 Springfield Ave, Westfield, NJ on Saturday, March 16, 2019 at 9:30 am. Visitation will be held at the same location on Friday, March 15, 2019 from 5:00pm to 8:00pm.

In lieu of flowers please be kind to one another and do not be afraid to share your struggles, fears, and joys. Feel free to donate to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in Luis’ name as well in lieu of flowers. Their website for donations is www.nami.org/get-involved/donate.

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