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UPDATE: Calling Hours for Joel have been changed to 6-8 p.m. on Sunday, February 26th in the Ginley Funeral Home of Franklin at 131 Main St. Franklin
Memorial Service on Monday, February 27th in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
91 Jordan Rd., Franklin @ 11 a.m.
Burial to follow in St. Mary Cemetery, Franklin.
The public is welcome to attend.
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Joel Abanto Arellano of Orem, Utah formerly of Franklin, MA passed away on vacation in Acapulco, Mexico on February 15, 2023 at 25 years of age. He is survived by his mother Corina Arellano Ross (Arellano Astete) and her husband William Ross of Franklin, MA, his sister Ana Paula Abanto Arellano of Franklin, MA, his father Armando Joel Abanto Galicia of Trujillo, Peru and many friends and family around the world. Joel attended Franklin High School in Franklin, MA and Ensign College in Salt Lake City, Utah and worked most recently for Vivint as a Sales Representative. He is remembered for his generous hospitality, quick wit, adventurous spirit, and ability to make everyone feel so loved and seen.
Joel was born on August 9th, 1997 in Trujillo, Peru and raised in the Capital of Peru, Lima. Joel found happiness in his community with his friends and family. Growing up he really enjoyed video games, music, get-togethers, photography, and long walks in the city and by the beach.
Friends and loved ones remember Joel as someone social and very unique who was driven to do work in his relationships. He was able to make and maintain strong connections with other people. He could talk to anyone and had a very active and diverse social life. He was fair, honest, grounded, and a committee friend.
Joel served his church for 2 years on an excellent LDS Spanish-speaking mission in Albuquerque, New Mexico beginning in 2017 where he was able to put his uniqueness on display. Joel’s love transformed the lives of everyone he encountered. He brought a bounty of beauty and strength to everything he did with his knowledge, his smile, and unbounded love. He had a remarkable ability to connect with people, share himself, and evoke that same spirit of love in each person he knew.
Joel was a man on the move. He spent his childhood with his family and friends in Peru and later moved to the United States where he lived in Boston, Florida, New Mexico, Utah, and his favorite, California. His mission and his natural ability to network and socialize inspired him to travel in order to reach others and share ideas and anecdotes. He loved people and culture. He remained passionate about travel for the rest of his life, making frequent trips to different places inside and outside of the United States with family and friends.
A true intellectual, he found his true calling and use for his language and communication skills in sales. As a salesman, he was not only able to sell whatever he wanted to anyone he wanted to but was also able to continuously share his love with anyone he met. Joel used every chance meeting to make people feel special and remind them to love one another. He had great compassion not only for himself but for others as well. Although not fond of mainstream school, Joel possessed a wealth of knowledge. His brilliance shone when he spoke. He was very smart and was able to talk to anyone about any subject.
A sociable community leader, Joel has always embodied joy and vitality. Besides his soothing voice, anyone who met Joel always remembered his glowing smile. He used his ebullient personality to make things happen in his community.
Joel was a voracious reader, foodie, and movie connoisseur; a stubborn force to be reckoned with; an unrelenting advocate for being who you are and doing what you want. Loud, funny, intelligent, elegant, handsome, and tender - there is so much more that should be said, but in the end, what he did was make our world brighter. We love and miss you, Joelito.
Calling hours are from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, February 26 in the Ginley Funeral Home of Franklin, 131 Main Street, Franklin, Massachusetts.
A memorial service will be held on Monday morning February 27th 2023 at 11 a.m. in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints at 91 Jordan Rd. Franklin, MA 02038
Burial to follow after in St. Mary Cemetery, 175 Beaver St. Franklin
The public is welcome to attend.
In lieu of flowers, the family has set-up a donation page at: https://gofund.me/c264f56c
