Family, friends and colleagues said their final goodbyes to a veteran Miami-Dade Corrections officer who died after battling COVID-19.
Juan Llanes, 57, was a 33-year veteran of the Miami-Dade Corrections Department. He died on Feb. 1 of the virus. Loved ones remembered him for his humor and as one of the nicest guys you'd ever want to meet.
"As a person and officer, he was a truly dedicated family man, and as an officer, he was an officer's officer per se," said George Hubbard, a retired officer and a friend of Llanes.
Llanes spent time working at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center until 1992 and later transferred to Metro-West Detention Center until 2010. His last assignment was at the Hospital Services Unit.
"He would never turn down anybody for help. Anybody who came to him, he would help them without question," Hubbard said.
Hubbard recently spoke to Llanes while he was in the hospital.
"You're going to be alright, man, you're in one of the best hospitals," Hubbard recalled telling his friend. "Do what the doctor tells you and when you get out, we'll get together and have a barbecue or something ... I don't know why it happened to such a nice guy."
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Llanes was laid to rest at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Cemetery in Doral and leaves behind his wife Norma, his son Justin, his mother and sister, and many other family members.
