William ""Billy"" Lopez Vega

William “Billy” Lopez Vega, 71, resident of Ocala, peacefully left this Earth on October 11, 2021 surrounded by his loving family. He was born to William Lopez and Bertila Vega on January 24, 1950. A native of Ponce, Puerto Rico, he was raised in New York City, but eventually called Rincon, Puerto Rico, home. Then he moved with his wife Lydia to Ocala Florida in 2015. William and Lydia were married in 1971 and had five children. He was a United States Army Viet-Nam Veteran who proudly served his country. Upon his return from Viet-Nam he achieved an Associate’s degree in Computer Science. His adventurous spirit was not meant for office work. He spent five years under the guidance and teachings of American Karate Goju Master Peter Urban, earning his Fifth Dan Black Belt. He enjoyed reading, playing chess, watching wrestling, the news and overall spending time with his large family, to many of whom he was a father, beacon of strength, counselor and life coach. He taught us to be objective, creative, how to be street smart, master self-defense and follow our dreams. Just like he dealt with all experiences in life, William managed his illness, pancreatic cancer, with superb strength and grace. He is survived and dearly missed by his wife Lydia; his children: Velvet, Charissa, Astrid, William and Wallimar; daughter in law Ivette; sons in law Joel, Angel and Jose; grandchildren Deyaneira, Isabella, Kroywen, Ashlee, Adrian, Arianna and Joselynn; his siblings Maria, Julio and Edwin and his aunt and godmother Milagros. He was preceded in death by his parents William Lopez and Bertila Vega, and his siblings Yvonne and Raymond. A private “Celebration of his Life” will be held November 20, 2021. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity that deals with services for veterans. Online condolences may be left at hiers-baxley.com