Gilberto "Pepe" Rodriguez

Gilberto "Pepe" Rodriguez Jr., 46, of Atlantic, passed away peacefully Monday, March 23, 2020, surrounded by his family at Carteret Health Care.

A private funeral service for Pepe will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, March 27, 2020, at Davis First Baptist Church, officiated by Pastor Daniel Melton and Jonathan Griffin. Interment will follow at Nelson Bay Cemetery in Sea Level. The family invites friends to view the service through the webcast on the obituary page for Pepe on the Munden Funeral Home website. The service can also be viewed live through the Davis First Baptist Facebook page.

Pepe was born on December 29, 1973, to Gilberto Rodriguez Sr. and the late Dora Styron. He loved working with his hands, riding four wheelers in Long Bay woods, rebuilding old cars and anything to do with the water, especially spending time in his duck blinds with his close friends and family. He is a veteran of the U.S. Navy where he spent his time as a rescue swimmer. After serving his country he returned home to commercial fish, worked as a Diesel Mechanic with the N.C. Ferry Division, and returned to serve his country as a pneudraulics systems worker at the Fleet Readiness Center East. He was a member of Crissie Wright Lodge #741 in Smyrna and Davis First Baptist Church. He especially had a love for Down East Baseball and touched the lives of countless amounts of children he coached. He was a devoted husband, father, brother, nephew and "uncle pep."

He is survived by his wife, Sarah Rodriguez; sons, Jacob, Danny, and Taylor all of the home; father, Gilberto Rodriguez Sr. and wife Barbara; step father, Dennis Stark; sister, Jessica Rodriguez; brothers, Toby Rodriguez and wife Alma and William Stark; father-in-law, Daniel Taylor and wife Hazel; sister-in-law, Gail Brooks; brothers-in-law, Charles Taylor and wife Amy and Stephen Taylor and wife Cara; special nephews, Landon, Mason, and Logan Taylor; uncles, Curtis Styron and wife Becky, Jeff Styron and Rex Styron; and many cousins, nieces, nephews and special friends.

He is preceded in death by his mother, Dora Styron; sister, Enadina Maria Rodriguez; and maternal grandparents, Curtis and Ruth Styron.

The family will receive friends from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. on Thursday, March 26 ,2020 at Davis First Baptist Church. As we take extra steps to maintain a healthy environment, we strongly urge that the public use wise judgement in attending. If you are showing any signs of illness, we humbly ask that you forgo the visitation time. We welcome you to express condolences through the Munden Funeral Home website.

Flowers are welcome or donations can be made to Down East Cal Ripken Baseball at P.O. Box 91, Smyrna, NC 28579 or Davis First Baptist Church at P.O. Box 146, Davis, NC 28524.

Family and friends are welcome to submit online condolences at www.mundenfuneralhome.net

Arrangements by Munden Funeral Home and Crematory in Morehead City, NC.