Eligio Soto was born on May 26, 1955, in the city of Arecibo, on the beautiful island of Puerto Rico to Genaro Soto and Juana (Juanita) Suarez.  Eligio spent his childhood growing up on a farm where he loved raising and riding horses.  He loved to say that when he was a kid, he never wore any shoes.  He had twelve siblings from his father and mother: Armando DeArce, Minerva DeArce, Eredmira Soto, Alfredo Soto, Porfirio Soto, Virginia Soto, Bielo Soto, Rosa Soto, Magdalena Soto, Herminio Soto, Luz Soto and Iraida Soto.

Eligio’s mother moved from Puerto Rico to Connecticut where he soon followed.  It was there that he met and would marry the love of his life Edith Mercado.  They were together for 45 years and would have three children, Vedzaida (Clemente), Jaime and Sintia (DaCruz); along with his two nieces, Nancy Serrano, and Carmen Ferreira, whom he raised as his own children after the tragic death of their mother, his sister Eredmira. 

Eligio sincerely loved his family and spending time with them.  He helped raise his grandson Jonathan and his grandnephews Joey and Christian.  His grandsons would be at his house every single weekend.  In his earlier years he would often throw parties for family and friends that would last for the entire weekend.  He was a very generous man who wanted to enjoy his life.  He will always be remembered for his jokes and humorous stories and being able to find humor in almost everything.  He always maintained his love for the Island of Puerto Rico and made it a point to visit his family there every year; his last trip was on his birthday this past May 2021.

Eligio had an unparalleled work ethic.  He was employed as a polisher/robot operator for the Sargent Manufacturing Company until his retirement after 41 years.  Not only was he a machine operator, but he also helped to program the robots and troubleshoot the software.  But his first passion was for fishing.  The boat that we owned was named “El Coco,” and would take his family and especially his grandsons out on fishing adventures.  His second passion was operating his HAM radio.  His radio antenna was the only one of its kind in his area and could be seen for miles.  His last radio handle was “Cocodrilo.”  Another hobby was classic cars and he even restored a ’68 Ford Mustang.  His intention was to give the car to his grandson Jonathan, but instead gave Jonathan his pickup truck as a gift after he became a licensed HVAC technician.  After his retirement Eligio enjoyed looking at classic cars online and trying to figure out a way to buy a mansion in Puerto Rico so that he could move back there one day.

On October 23, 2021, Eligio gave his heart to Jesus and confessed him as Lord and Savior.  He was being visited by his daughter Vedzaida and they were able to talk and pray together.  God saw it fit to take him and three days later, on October 26, Eligio was called home to be with the Lord.  All who knew him will absolutely miss him and his fun loving and good-humored demeanor.

Eligio was preceded in death by his parents and siblings Armando, Eredmira, Virginia, Magdalena, Herminio and Iraida.  He leaves behind his wife Edith Soto, children Vedzaida (Clemente) and son-in-law Christopher Clemente, Jaime Soto, Sintia (DaCruz), grandchildren Jonathan Soto, Jorge DaCruz Jr., Bryce Turner, and Ziare Palmer, along with great grandson Jonathan Soto, Jr., and grandnephews Giovanni Vasquez and Christian Torres, along with many uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews. 

His memory will be kept alive by his loving wife, Edith and all of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.