Services Planned For This Weekend
Gus Prado (seated in center) 1979 President of the Culver City Chamber of Commerce with his board of directors. Prado died this week at the age of 74.
Agustin (Gus) Prado passed away Monday, September 21 while disembarking from a 27-day cruise in Fort Lauderdale, Florida after suffering a massive heart attack. He was 74.
Gus was born in Havana, Cuba on September 19, 1941. He immigrated to the United States in 1960 shortly after Fidel Castro seized power in Cuba.
He owned Prado Signs in downtown Culver City which he sold over a decade ago so he could retire. He loved to travel and enjoyed his grandchildren immensely.
"He would stop in the newspaper office every few months and he would light up like the 4th of July talking about his grandchildren," according to Observer Publisher Steve Hadland, "Spending time with them brought him so much joy."
He served a President of the Culver City Chamber of Commerce, the Culver City Lions Club and of Club 25 of Los Angeles, a Cuban-American club.
He was appointed by then Gov. George Deukmejian to serve on the state Advisory Council on Refugee Assistance and Services.
Begun in 1951 the Fiesta La Ballona was waning, Prado took over leadership, added the moniker "Festival of the People" and breathed new life into the annual event which today thrives each August with over 30,000 attendees.
After Gus and his wife Dr. Mayra Prado lost their son Michael to cancer they founded a non-profit organization (Tax ID #33-1065639 called "Michael's Friends Foundation", which provides scholarship opportunities for very disadvantaged children at Vaughn's Learning Center in Pacoima.
They request that anyone who would like to honor Gus that in lieu of flowers, they consider donations to this foundation. Checks can be made out to "Michael's Friends Foundation" and sent to Aixa Carbonell as treasurer at 9560 Gierson Avenue, Chatsworth, CA 91311-4737.
According to thefrontpageonline.com at a dinner honoring the Prado's, "Banquet-goers were told that Mr. Prado and Dr. Prado were personally responsible for having raised well over $1 million for the American Cancer Society."
An Open Casket Viewing and Rosary will be held on Friday, October 2, at 7 pm at Saint Anastasia Church, 7390 W. Manchester Ave. in Westchester. A funeral mass will be held at Saint Anastasia Church the next day on Saturday, October 3 at 11:30 am with a graveside ceremony immediately following Mass at Holy Cross Cemetery 5835 W. Slauson Ave. in Culver City.
Gus is survived by his wife Dr. Mayra Prado, his children Yvette and Ed, and his grandchildren.
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