Death of Mexican Farm Worker Leaves Child Orphaned
Donation protected
42-year old farm worker Jose Antonio Coronado died, unexpectedly, on April 21, 2021, of natural causes unrelated to Covid.
He died in Port Elgin, Ontario where he was a seasonal farm worker.
He was the sole financial support for his family of 8 in Mexico.
Since 2016, his mother (63) and grandmother (85) have been taking care of his 9-year-old son, Brandon, while he worked the growing season in Canada. His epileptic, widowed sister and her two minor children are also part of his household in Mexico. His first wife, who was 6-months pregnant, died in 2015 and Jose Antonio just remarried in December 2020. At Jose Antonio's request, his wife does not work because of the fear of bringing COVID home to his mother, grandmother and sister who could become very sick because of age or medical condition. In the photo of his family, you will also see his brother who does not live with them but who has been trying to assist them in navigating the complexities of these tragic circumstances.
We are a group of concerned volunteers who have been involved in community outreach to the Mexican farm workers in our area for a number of years. Our connection to them is as friends and welcome members of our community. Having been in touch with his family in Mexico, we know they are now without any financial support and their need is urgent. Please read below for more information about the family.
The money we raise will be used to provide the necessities of life for them until they are able to manage on their own. Because Mexico is not a GoFundMe-approved country, we have set up an account here in Canada. Donations will be forwarded to an account in Mexico.
Your donations will enable us to support Jose Antonio's family and to assist us in assuring other farm workers that they are truly members of our community who can count on our support in difficult times.
JOSE ANTONIO CORONADO
May 11,1978 – April 21, 2021
The contribution that migratory workers make to the Canadian agricultural sector is considerable and both Canada and Mexico have established protocols to ensure both the safety of these workers and of the public while they are working here in Canada during the pandemic.
On April 9 of this year, dozens of Mexican agricultural workers were waiting at the airport in Mexico City to board their flight to Toronto in anticipation of their arrival at farms in many parts of Ontario. Prior to getting on the plane in Mexico, the workers received a medical examination and were tested for COVID-19. Upon their arrival in Canada, they were immediately tested again, given a vaccine shot and then put into quarantine.
That night, the 15 men whose final destination was Port Elgin, to work at Hi-Berry Farm, were mentally preparing for their isolation period. They were told that they were not allowed to step foot outside their temporary homes for two weeks. Challenging, for sure, but they were consoled by the fact that they were back in Canada to work and that they would soon start the season in a community where they all felt welcomed.
Most of the workers in this group have been coming to work for Hi-Berry Farm for many years and the community has gotten to know them well. Jose Antonio Coronado was perhaps the rookie in the group. He started working for the farm in 2016 and left such a good impression that his bosses were happy to hire him back. And the local community was happy to have him.
Born in a small village in the State of Sinaloa, Mexico, in May 1978, Jose Antonio witnessed the ravages of the violence that is taking place there. As a result, he and his parents, grandmother and a widowed sister, Concepcion, mother of two children, made the decision to leave their village and move closer to Mazatlan.
Unfortunately, in this new setting, Jose Antonio discovered how hard it was to find work and housing. Out of desperation, they were forced to settle on squatter’s land. Everyday, he worked a different job and things only got worse. Jose’s wife suffered a cardiovascular failure and died. She was six-months pregnant with their second child. He was left heartbroken, with a 3-year-old son, Brandon. His mother, Andrea Rodriguez (63) and his grandmother Lucia (85) helped to look after his son. Then his sister was diagnosed with epilepsy and began experiencing frequent seizures. A year later, his father was diagnosed with cancer and died within a short time. Suddenly, Jose Antonio was the breadwinner for a household of 7 family members.
When he heard about the program for Temporary Agricultural Workers in Canada, he jumped at the opportunity. After passing the required test, he was accepted in 2016. Overjoyed, he felt it was a sign that his deceased father was watching over him from heaven. He wasn’t sure if he could leave his son, but his mother promised that she would take care of the child in the way she had cared for him when he was young.
So, Jose Antonio came to Canada and went to work at Hi-Berry Farm. He was a tall, slim fellow, full of energy. His big brown eyes were deep and sad but he always wore a shy smile on his face. A few years ago, he was featured in an exhibit at the Bruce County Museum about the Mexican agricultural workers at the farm. His story moved members in the community and many wanted to help him out. All he asked for was clothing for his son and for his sister’s children.
It was very hard to live away from home for so many months, but with the money he was making, Jose Antonio was able to buy a plot of land and start building a house. His biggest hope was to finish that house and move his family away from constant threats of evacuation.
In 1918, Jose Antonio’s sister, introduced him to Carolina Angulo and, two years later, Jose asked Carolina to marry him. The two understood how difficult it would be for a young couple to be apart, but Carolina said yes anyway and they married last December. His son Brandon walked with his dad to the judge’s office.
On the morning of Wednesday, April 21, Jose Antonio spoke with his wife Carolina on a video call. It was 6:00 a.m. in Mexico, and 8:00 a.m. in Port Elgin. Carolina says she saw him looking happy and he did not have any complaints. Later that morning, one of his co-workers messaged him and, when he did not respond, knocked at his apartment and discovered him dead. He died alone in his room, just before 10:00 a.m. that morning - a month shy of his 43rd birthday. (Note: the public health office has confirmed that Jose’s death was not related to the COVID virus or to the vaccine he received.)
Recently, when asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, Jose’s son Brandon, now 9 years old, said, “I want to be an architect or a doctor. An architect because when my dad was building our house, he always said how much he wished he were one so that he could build the house right. A doctor, because then I could have cured my mother, my granddad, my aunt Concepcion and my dad.”
Mexican Agricultural workers have life insurance, but in these times of COVID it will take time for all the government and non-government agencies involved to complete the paper work and requirements necessary to get the insurance funds to Jose’s family.
But the family is in need now. That is why a group of Saugeen Shores community volunteers started this GoFundMe campaign for Jose Antonio Coronado’s family. Please give so that his relatives, including his son Brandon, are able to financially cope.
He died in Port Elgin, Ontario where he was a seasonal farm worker.
He was the sole financial support for his family of 8 in Mexico.
Since 2016, his mother (63) and grandmother (85) have been taking care of his 9-year-old son, Brandon, while he worked the growing season in Canada. His epileptic, widowed sister and her two minor children are also part of his household in Mexico. His first wife, who was 6-months pregnant, died in 2015 and Jose Antonio just remarried in December 2020. At Jose Antonio's request, his wife does not work because of the fear of bringing COVID home to his mother, grandmother and sister who could become very sick because of age or medical condition. In the photo of his family, you will also see his brother who does not live with them but who has been trying to assist them in navigating the complexities of these tragic circumstances.
We are a group of concerned volunteers who have been involved in community outreach to the Mexican farm workers in our area for a number of years. Our connection to them is as friends and welcome members of our community. Having been in touch with his family in Mexico, we know they are now without any financial support and their need is urgent. Please read below for more information about the family.
The money we raise will be used to provide the necessities of life for them until they are able to manage on their own. Because Mexico is not a GoFundMe-approved country, we have set up an account here in Canada. Donations will be forwarded to an account in Mexico.
Your donations will enable us to support Jose Antonio's family and to assist us in assuring other farm workers that they are truly members of our community who can count on our support in difficult times.
JOSE ANTONIO CORONADO
May 11,1978 – April 21, 2021
The contribution that migratory workers make to the Canadian agricultural sector is considerable and both Canada and Mexico have established protocols to ensure both the safety of these workers and of the public while they are working here in Canada during the pandemic.
On April 9 of this year, dozens of Mexican agricultural workers were waiting at the airport in Mexico City to board their flight to Toronto in anticipation of their arrival at farms in many parts of Ontario. Prior to getting on the plane in Mexico, the workers received a medical examination and were tested for COVID-19. Upon their arrival in Canada, they were immediately tested again, given a vaccine shot and then put into quarantine.
That night, the 15 men whose final destination was Port Elgin, to work at Hi-Berry Farm, were mentally preparing for their isolation period. They were told that they were not allowed to step foot outside their temporary homes for two weeks. Challenging, for sure, but they were consoled by the fact that they were back in Canada to work and that they would soon start the season in a community where they all felt welcomed.
Most of the workers in this group have been coming to work for Hi-Berry Farm for many years and the community has gotten to know them well. Jose Antonio Coronado was perhaps the rookie in the group. He started working for the farm in 2016 and left such a good impression that his bosses were happy to hire him back. And the local community was happy to have him.
Born in a small village in the State of Sinaloa, Mexico, in May 1978, Jose Antonio witnessed the ravages of the violence that is taking place there. As a result, he and his parents, grandmother and a widowed sister, Concepcion, mother of two children, made the decision to leave their village and move closer to Mazatlan.
Unfortunately, in this new setting, Jose Antonio discovered how hard it was to find work and housing. Out of desperation, they were forced to settle on squatter’s land. Everyday, he worked a different job and things only got worse. Jose’s wife suffered a cardiovascular failure and died. She was six-months pregnant with their second child. He was left heartbroken, with a 3-year-old son, Brandon. His mother, Andrea Rodriguez (63) and his grandmother Lucia (85) helped to look after his son. Then his sister was diagnosed with epilepsy and began experiencing frequent seizures. A year later, his father was diagnosed with cancer and died within a short time. Suddenly, Jose Antonio was the breadwinner for a household of 7 family members.
When he heard about the program for Temporary Agricultural Workers in Canada, he jumped at the opportunity. After passing the required test, he was accepted in 2016. Overjoyed, he felt it was a sign that his deceased father was watching over him from heaven. He wasn’t sure if he could leave his son, but his mother promised that she would take care of the child in the way she had cared for him when he was young.
So, Jose Antonio came to Canada and went to work at Hi-Berry Farm. He was a tall, slim fellow, full of energy. His big brown eyes were deep and sad but he always wore a shy smile on his face. A few years ago, he was featured in an exhibit at the Bruce County Museum about the Mexican agricultural workers at the farm. His story moved members in the community and many wanted to help him out. All he asked for was clothing for his son and for his sister’s children.
It was very hard to live away from home for so many months, but with the money he was making, Jose Antonio was able to buy a plot of land and start building a house. His biggest hope was to finish that house and move his family away from constant threats of evacuation.
In 1918, Jose Antonio’s sister, introduced him to Carolina Angulo and, two years later, Jose asked Carolina to marry him. The two understood how difficult it would be for a young couple to be apart, but Carolina said yes anyway and they married last December. His son Brandon walked with his dad to the judge’s office.
On the morning of Wednesday, April 21, Jose Antonio spoke with his wife Carolina on a video call. It was 6:00 a.m. in Mexico, and 8:00 a.m. in Port Elgin. Carolina says she saw him looking happy and he did not have any complaints. Later that morning, one of his co-workers messaged him and, when he did not respond, knocked at his apartment and discovered him dead. He died alone in his room, just before 10:00 a.m. that morning - a month shy of his 43rd birthday. (Note: the public health office has confirmed that Jose’s death was not related to the COVID virus or to the vaccine he received.)
Recently, when asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, Jose’s son Brandon, now 9 years old, said, “I want to be an architect or a doctor. An architect because when my dad was building our house, he always said how much he wished he were one so that he could build the house right. A doctor, because then I could have cured my mother, my granddad, my aunt Concepcion and my dad.”
Mexican Agricultural workers have life insurance, but in these times of COVID it will take time for all the government and non-government agencies involved to complete the paper work and requirements necessary to get the insurance funds to Jose’s family.
But the family is in need now. That is why a group of Saugeen Shores community volunteers started this GoFundMe campaign for Jose Antonio Coronado’s family. Please give so that his relatives, including his son Brandon, are able to financially cope.
Fundraising team (4)
Elaine MacNeil
Organizer
Port Elgin, ON
Luz-Maria Alvarez-Wilson
Team member
Rosalie Scarlett
Team member
Sergio Connie Vidotto
Team member