Victor “Buddy” Lopez was born on October 22, 1967 in Cape Coral, FL. He is the youngest of 4, and his siblings Andres, Michelle and Gabriella were his closest friends. Buddy grew up just minutes from the water, and he developed a passion for fishing from a young age. He always spent his mornings at the dock and would fish with his brother, father and grandfather. Sunday was his favorite fishing day. His mother and grandmother would prepare their fresh catches for family dinner every Sunday. As soon as Buddy turned 15 he got a job at the local marina preparing bait.
After graduating from Cape Coral High, Buddy went on to receive his a degree in Business Management from Florida Gulf Coast University, class of 1989. Buddy took his experience and the opportunity to be close to the water and went on to be an Operations Manager at the Marina. He loved his job at the Marina, and it was very common to find him there even on his days off. His motto was “life is short, you need to love what you do and do what you love”. He married his sweetheart Valerie in 1990 and they built a wonderful life together, spending as much time as they could on their beloved boat, fishing and relaxing.
Victor became better known as “Buddy” because that is exactly who he was, a friend to everyone. A social butterfly who loved being around people. Valerie and Buddy were known for throwing the best cookouts, and everyone in the neighborhood was invited. Their 4th of July cookout was the most talked about party every year. Buddy loved to grill his family-favorite grilled Grouper, he was also known to whip up a mean cheddar jalapeno burger. If he wasn’t cooking up something good for his guests, he was busy making them feel welcome like a member of the family. Buddy always said “Mi casa es tu casa mi amigo!” Buddy is greatly missed by his wife, brother, sisters and wide circle of friends and coworkers. His coworkers have organized the first “Annual Buddy Lopez Fishing Tournament” in his memory.
