My beloved father, Carlos Restrepo, passed away peacefully at his home in Colombia, South America on January 5, 2023 with his family by his side. Carlos was born in Medellin, Colombia in 1949 and was the 3rd youngest of 14 siblings. In 1970, he met the love of his life, Gilma, whom he married in 1976, and were inseparable ever since. He enjoyed his career as a chemical engineer and worked in the textile industry until he retired in 2011.   

A life-long learner, Carlos loved reading, building, gardening, creating videos for families and friends, and exploring new places. The simplest of pleasures in life brought joy to Carlos and he found such happiness in daily activities, with Gilma always by his side. In the community he lived, he was known as Carlos ‘MacGyver,’ always making himself available to help neighbors and friends with projects. He remained extremely active until his diagnosis, running more than 30 km per week and always keeping track of his distances. In fact, he exceeded the perimeter of the earth, which was a great source of pride for him.

Carlos’ greatest joy was his family. He was a beloved and devoted husband, father, brother, grandfather, uncle, and friend. He was "Papi", "Charlie", "Abue", to his wife Gilma, daughter Carolina (husband Dennis), and son Felipe (wife Ana Maria), and grandpa to Lucas, Daniel, Benjamin, Isabella, and Amelia. 

We will miss his gentle guidance, optimism, kindness, and selflessness, but know that his courageous battle with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), a rare neurodegenerative disease, is finally put to rest and he is at peace, and in Heaven. His pleasant personality was contagious, and his loved ones will continue to honor his legacy by living each day to the fullest, as he did.

Strides for CJD is an annual walk/run to raise awareness of CJD. CJD affects people of all ages and in most cases, people die within weeks or months of receiving a CJD diagnosis. We need to support the important work the CJD Foundation is doing to provide resources to families affected by this disease and to promote research to find a cure. We hope no family has to go through what we have been through. 

We hope you can join us for the Strides for CJD walk on October 15, 2023 at 7:30am at 7315 Ox Rd., Fairfax Station, Virginia 22039. 

Thank you, 

To donate to my personal fundraising page, text STRIDES2023 to 50155. 

Donations of $250 and above are considered sponsorships.

Sponsorship Levels:

• Premier: $20,000
• Diamond: $10,000
• Platinum: $5,000
• Gold: $1,000
• Silver: $500
• Bronze: $250

Premier, Diamond, and Platinum Sponsors will have their name or logo displayed on participant t-shirts, the Strides for CJD website, and signage. Gold Sponsors will have their name or logo displayed on the Strides for CJD website, and will have their name (not their logo) listed on participant T-shirts and signage. Silver and Bronze Sponsors will have their name listed on the Strides for CJD website only.