Deacon Juan Ponce de Leon, 69, died Jan. 31. He was ordained in 2011 and served at St. William Parish.

Deacon Ponce de Leon and his family had been parishioners at St. William for 30 years, and were instrumental in starting the Guadalupana Society and other ministries to Latino families there. He also was involved in Boy Scouts with his two sons. After ordination, Deacon Ponce de Leon did Spanish-language baptismal preparation and preparation for other sacraments. Parish staff members said he was a “gentle and kind spirit.”

He is survived by his wife, Helen; sons John and Joe; one grandson; his brother, Edmund Ponce de Leon, and his sister, Rosita Hale.