Obituary

Rolando Contreras Bermúdez, 88, of Chesterfield County, VA peacefully passed away surrounded by loved ones on April 20th. Rolando was born on August 9th, 1932 to Melquiades Contreras Juárez and María Zoila Bermúdez Avilés in Cusco, Peru. After graduating from the Military Academy “Leoncio Prado” in 1949, he went on to study Petroleum Engineering at the Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería in Lima. After graduating in 1955 as the valedictorian of his class, Rolando landed his first job as a petroleum engineer based in Talara, Peru for International Petroleum Company, a subsidiary of Standard Oil Company, which kickstarted his 40-year career in the petroleum industry. In 1958, Rolando met Edelmira Rojas Franco in Talara. They married in 1960 and went on to have four children. Following his footsteps their children went on to pursue careers in engineering. Rolando put family first, always, and was a dedicated father. His knowledge and guidance were the foundation of his family. Rolando took his family to Bogota, Colombia in 1978 and retired from Exxon in 1993, returning to Lima, Peru. In 2011 Rolando and Edelmira moved to Virginia, USA to be closer to his children. Rolando spent the last part of his retirement tending for his beloved wife who suffered from Alzheimer”™s. Rolando was predeceased by his son José Eduardo, his mother, María Zoila, his father Melquiades, his sister América, and his brother Henrriot. He is survived by his children Rolando, Miguel Ángel, and Mónica María, his three brothers Edilberto Braulio, Ángel Efraín, and Wellington Miguel, and his five grandchildren Rolando, Nicolás, Alejandro, Stephanie, and Juan Pablo. Funeral mass service will be held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 1400 Perry Street, Richmond, VA 23224 on Tuesday, April 27th at 4:00 pm. The funeral mass service will be broadcast with details to be included here later. In lieu of flowers we ask you to join us in the fight to defeat Alzheimer”™s disease. For your convenience, we are including a link to Rolando”™s Tribute Page where you can donate: http://act.alz.org/goto/Rolando_Contreras_Bermude