John Basiliano Sarmiento age 91, a loving father and husband, passed away peacefully on Sunday, March 1, 2020, at Jackson Madison County General Hospital. Burial and Committal will be at 10:00 AM, Saturday, March 7, 2020, at the Alamo City Cemetery, in Alamo, TN. John Sarmiento was born in Matanzas, Cuba on December 18, 1928, to the late Juan Sarmiento Moreno and Maria Dolores Guerra; later he immigrated to New York City, NY with his first wife on November 11,1952, where he became a U.S citizen in 1966. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Havana in Cuba and studied Computer Programming at New Jersey State Teacher’s College. He was an inventor and talented jack-of-all trades of items such as the Ciggy smokeless cigarette ashtray, pioneered and developed a line of biodegradable soap products that were first introduced in Dade County, FL, and designed the 8 oz. bottle used for soft drinks throughout the 1970s. He served as the Vice President of Sales for Ford Motor Company’s South America Division from 1984-1987. He resigned his position to enter private business, residing in Chile from 1986-1999. There he became a very successful businessman. He owned a pharmacy in Santiago, Chile for many years where he met his beautiful wife Esperanza Del Carmen Riveros Vega, and he also imported automobiles into the free zone in Chile to many dealerships. He was preceded in death by his mother Maria Dolores Guerra in 2006, his oldest brother Gilberto Sarmiento, and his first wife Mary H. Sarmiento in 2007. He is survived by his beloved wife of 30 years, Esperanza Del Carmen Sarmiento of Bells, TN; his younger brother Hilario Aramis Sarmiento of New York City, NY; daughter Giselle Esperanza Sarmiento of Bells, TN; three sons: John Robert Sarmiento of Trenton, TN; Dan Andrew Sarmiento of Tampa, FL; John Frank Sarmiento of Tampa, FL; four granddaughters: Nicolette, Brittney, Tiana and Danielle Sarmiento; three grandsons: Frankie, Ryan, and J.J Sarmiento; and five great grandchildren. Services will be held on Saturday, March 7, 2020 at 10:00 AM in the Alamo City Cemetery.
