Giovanni "Gio" Castillo

Giovanni José Castillo Medal, 39, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, formerly of Managua, Nicaragua, passed away December 13, 2013 at the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City, Utah, after a brave three year battle with Leukemia. Beloved husband of Heather (Anderson) Castillo, father to Giovanni (Giovi), (9), Adellyna (6), and Eliana (2). Giovanni, fondly known as Gio, was born November 11, 1974 in Managua, Nicaragua, the youngest son of Francisca Medal and Jacinto Castillo. His father passed away when he was four years old during wartime Nicaragua. His grandparents, Ana Julia Montenegro and Manuel Antonio Medal, helped raise him and he spent a lot of time at their sides while his mother worked tirelessly in sewing sweatshops to make ends meet. He grew up in the midst of civil war that plagued the country for more than 10 years. He bore a great amount of responsibility from a young age, helping his mother and grandparents, especially after his brothers had mandatory service in the military. When he was just a young child of 10 years old, he frequently was asked to hitchhike more than an hour away to where his brother was stationed in the military. He would take socks and shoes and other necessary items to his brother, and his brother in return would send home extra food for the family. He was always a great student, and earned special honors in his grade school years for his academic achievements. School came very easy to him, which led him to often be the class clown, cracking jokes and enjoying his friends. He loved playing basketball with the neighborhood boys and dreamed of seeing the LA Lakers. During and after high school, he had various jobs to help support his family including driving trucks and helping in his uncle’s guitar-making shop. He was called into mandatory military service when he was 15 years old and fought in the jungles of Nicaragua and Honduras during the last year of the Iran/Contra War, until it ended in 1990. He worked in construction with his uncle for many years traveling throughout Nicaragua and Central America. He later worked for the relief organization CEPAD, supporting and cleaning up after crisis in the country. He was working for CEPAD when Hurricane Mitch hit the country in 1998. He was called in the middle of the storm to help with mudslides threatening different areas of the country. After the storm was over, working for CEPAD he facilitated mission teams from the U.S. that were coming to help Nicaragua. He met his wife Heather in 1999 when she ventured to Nicaragua on a church mission trip to help with disaster relief efforts after Hurricane Mitch. They emailed and talked on the phone for nearly two years before Heather returned to Nicaragua to spend time with his family and try to learn Spanish. During this time, Gio attended LA UCA (The University Centroamericana) taking English classes. Giovanni arrived in the U.S. in November 2001 to be united in marriage with Heather Anderson on January 5, 2002 at Trinity United Methodist Church and settled in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Giovanni attended Idaho State University, graduating in 2009 with a B.S. in International Relations and a minor in Political Science. During his schooling he was excited to intern in Senator Mike Crapo’s office for 6 months. He earned his U.S. citizenship in 2009. Gio loved world politics and loved to debate it in depth. He was passionate about helping those born into poverty and wished for no one in the world to go hungry. If he met people in need, he more than once gave them the shirt off his back and a place to stay and didn’t blink about sharing meals with strangers. Giovanni was well known for his fun-loving ways, he loved being in the center of a crowd telling jokes. He loved his family and considered being a father one of the most important honors of his life. Growing up without his father, he took even more pride in his role and he was with his children daily and whenever able, he would take his children on adventures around town. He enjoyed building projects and took pride improving his home. He built a cover for their back deck as well as numerous other projects which fill their home. He remained close to his Nicaraguan family and the internet made it possible to have daily contact with his family even though it was difficult to visit them very often. Even from his home in the U.S. he continued to be the family leader and primary support for his mother in Nicaragua. Gio also built many close relationships with his wife’s family, enjoying family get-togethers with her sisters and brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews and cousins. Gio often organized family adventures with the kid's grandparents, Jim and Betty Anderson, and they would often head off camping to the Tetons. Gio formed a special bond with his father-in-law, Jim Anderson, and they worked on numerous household projects together, going out to Saturday lunch, and running hardware store errands. Some of Gio’s favorite adventures were visiting Jackson Hole, Yellowstone Park, Mesa Falls, the Tetons and taking the boat on Leigh Lake, driving roads trips exploring, and camping with his family. He loved pawn shop hunting in Bozeman, Mt; a late night movie; a good meal at Famous Dave’s, shopping for clothes and shoes, hanging out with family and friends, and a great game of pool. Giovanni was preceded in death by his grandparents; Patricio Castillo, Guadalupe Valdivia, Ana Julia Montenegro, Manuel Antonio Medal; his father, Jacinto Castillo, his infant brother Jaime Castillo, and his half-sister Sophia Waiban. He is survived by his wife Heather Renae Anderson Castillo and children Giovanni James Castillo (9), Adellyna Xochilt Castillo (6,) Eliana Antoinette Castillo (2), his mother; Francisca Medal Montenegro, and his siblings; Yamill Castillo, Janeth Castillo, Jaime Castillo, Yesenia Castillo, Kenia Medal, Claudia Medal, Walter Castillo and Jackson Castillo. Funeral services will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 21st at Trinity United Methodist Church, 237 N. Water. A nursery will be provided during the memorial services. The family will visit with friends from 1:00- 2:30 prior to services at the church.

Funeral Services will be held

2:30 p.m. ,Saturday, December 21, 2013 Trinity United Methodist Church 237 N. Water Ave Idaho Falls, ID, Bonneville 83402 Notes: A nursery will be provided during the memorial services. The family will visit with friends from 1:00- 2:30 prior to services at the church. Burial will be in New Sweden Cemetery