Ismael “Ish/Sonny” Prado
Age 80 of Wilmington
Passed away peacefully at home surrounded by those who loved him on Friday, August 6, 2021 after a courageous two year battle with cancer.
Sonny was born in Naguabo, Puerto Rico to the late Julio and Felicita Rodriguez Prado. At the age of 14, he and his family moved to Wilmington, Delaware in 1954 where he began his life in service to God and to his community.
After graduating from Wilmington High School, Ish began working for the Department of License and Inspections. Upon the recommendations from Monsignor Paul Taggart and Fr. Russell Perkins, Ish entered the Wilmington Fire Academy and was one of 20 young men of the 1967 W.F.D. Rookie Class. Ish graduated and began working for the City of Wilmington’s Fire Department. He had the honor of being the first Hispanic Fire Fighter in Wilmington, rising to the rank of Lieutenant during his 28 years of service. This accomplishment is acknowledged by Wilmington High School and his photo is displayed on the “Wall of Fame”. His hard work, determination, and sense of responsibility and equity, paved the way for other men and women of color to pursue service as Fire Fighters in Delaware.
On July 6, 1968, Ish married the love of his life, Narcisa Maria Lopez of San Sebastian, Puerto Rico. He often told the story of seeing her across the room at a C.Y.O. sports banquet in Philadelphia, and knew it was love at first sight. Together Narcisa and Ish raised four wonderful daughters and instilled in them the confidence to be the voice and to always advocate for those who do not have a voice.
Ish approached everything he pursued with steadfast passion and commitment, most notably his community service. He gave his time and effort to contribute to the betterment of his local community. Ish loved baseball, especially his beloved Philadelphia Phillies. He played with Los St. Paul’s Stars and it was his love for the game and for his community, which led him to start the “Ish Prado Midget Baseball League” in Wilmington’s West Side. This four team baseball league provided opportunities for 100s of inner city children. The league offered guidance and mentorship and taught the children to work together as a team and to respect each other’s abilities. The league fund raised and traveled to Philadelphia and Puerto Rico where the children participated in intra-mural baseball games.
Ish became one of the first Presidents of the Board of the Latin American Community Center, an organization that works to provide social support and education to Hispanics in Delaware and other members of our community. He was a board member of the Latin American Community Center Development Corporation, and was instrumental to the development of safe, affordable housing for seniors within the Latino community in Wilmington and today is known as Los Jardines. He sat on the board of The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Delaware in pursuit of promoting and supporting Hispanic owned businesses. He was a member of Unidos Sin Fronteras, a multi-cultural organization united by faith and a member of the Latinos for Life and Delaware Right to Life. He and Sisa often traveled to Washington in support of the National Right to Life movement. Ish also worked to unite the diverse neighborhoods in Wilmington and was a founding member of the Wilmington United Neighborhood and organized the 5k walk/run events Walk for WUN.
As a devout follower of Christ, Ish was a very active member of St. Paul R. C. Church, in Wilmington. He served many years on the Parish Council and volunteered in many church and diocese functions. He served as a Lector, a Eucharistic Minister, a member of the Juan XXIII Movement, an Extraordinary Minister to the Sick, a CCD teacher and even worked as a school crossing guard after his retirement. His commitment to his Parish was unwavering and his efforts were tireless in helping to spread the word and teachings of God.
Ish was a proud member of the Knights of Columbus (KofC), San Pablo Council no 11384. He joined the KofC in 2001 as part of the St. Thomas Council. As soon as he became a member his goal was to bring the Knights of Columbus to his home parish of St. Paul's. He began recruiting good men to join the organization and in 2009, Ish was instrumental in founding the San Pablo council and served as the Grand Knight. Sir Knight Prado was also a Fourth Degree member of Archbishop Fitzmaurice Assembly and actively served in the Color Guard. The following two years he served as District Deputy for State Deputy Larry Gardner and State Deputy David Brown. Since that time he served his council as Financial Secretary for three years and as Membership Director. He has held the office of Council Warden since 2014.
By living his life guided by faith and service to others, Ish leaves an indelible legacy on his community.
In addition to his parents, Ish was preceded in death by his brother, Jose Prado.
Ismael will be dearly missed by his loving wife of 53 years, Narcisa Prado; his four daughters, Sandra T. Prado-Riley, Anita M. Bergh (Carl), Melisa M. Dulin (Sean), and Cinthia I. Prado-Morales; his grandchildren, Gianna, Elliot, Christian, Ean, Elena, Liam, and Isaac. Ish is also survived by his siblings, Carmen Rodriguez (William) and Juan Prado, and many loving nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Friends and relatives may call at Krienen-Griffith Funeral Home, 1400 Kirkwood Hwy., Wilm., DE 19805, on Sunday, August 15th, 2021 from 6 PM to 8 PM. Relatives and friends are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial on Monday, August 16th, 2021 at St. Paul R.C. Church, 1010 4th St., Wilm., DE 19805, at 10:30am. Interment will take place immediately following mass at Cathedral Cemetery, 2400 Lancaster Avenue, Wilmington, DE, 19805.
In lieu of flowers the family asks that contributions be made in Ish’s name to repair the roof at St. Paul R.C. Church.