In West Venezuela, Adventists Shocked by Sudden Death of Union President

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in West Venezuela is mourning the loss of its leader, Julio Palacio, who died suddenly of a heart attack on May 16, 2019, at his home in Barquisimeto, Venezuela. He was 63 years old.

“We are deeply saddened by the death of Julio Palacio, a visionary man, a great administrator and defender of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s beliefs and Bible truths,” said Orlando Ramírez, executive secretary for the church in West Venezuela. ”His pastoral and administrative leadership saw the explosive growth and expansion of the church during the years he served as president of the church in Venezuela, seeing the birth of numerous conferences and missions and the organization of a second union headquarters in the country.”

Ramírez said Palacio was a mentor, a grand teacher, and exceptional leader whom he worked with directly for more than 24 years, most recently as part of his administration.

Julio Palacio’s service to the church in Venezuela spans more than 39 years. He served as a church pastor, conference secretary, conference president, union executive secretary, and union president. From 2000 until 2010 he served as president of the Venezuela Antilles Union, which oversaw the church in Venezuela and Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao. After that, the church was reorganized into two unions, and he served as president of the West Venezuela Union until May 15, 2019.

The news came as a shock to Inter-American Division president Elie Henry, who was attending leadership meetings in the Middle East at the time.

“This is a big loss for the church in Inter-America, and we are praying for his wife, Milder, and his family during this sad time and cling to God’s faithful promise that we will see Him again when the Lord returns,” Henry said.

Henry last met with Palacio during Inter-America’s mid-year executive committee meetings in April. “He was so enthusiastic about plans for the church in West Venezuela and particularly was excited about new plans for the Adventist university — which was very dear to his heart.”

Even in the midst of so many challenges facing the church territory, such as losing so many leaders and members, Henry said he never heard Palacio utter a negative comment or complaint about the challenges facing his country. Henry said he has known Palacio since his years as union president in Haiti and then worked closely with him as Inter-American Division vice president and executive secretary and beyond. “He was a visionary man, always looking for opportunities in the midst of challenges, looking ahead and driving the church forward. His legacy will surely carry through for a long time,” Henry said.

“We lived through many challenges,” said Josney Rodríguez, ministerial secretary for the church in Inter-America, who served as president of the East Venezuela Union when it was organized in 2010. “He was such a good listener, a great friend, and very caring toward the needs of leaders and members,” Rodríguez said.

“He was one of the persons most aware of the task to be accomplished by the church, very faithful to God, very human, who valued each person and was an excellent father and husband,” he added.

Julio Palacio is survived by his wife, Milder, his sons, Jumil and Julio Jr., daughters-in-law, two grandchildren, mother, and relatives. 

Funeral services took place on May 16, and a memorial service was scheduled for Friday, May 17, at the headquarters office of the West Venezuela Union.

Orlando Ramírez and Moisés Buenaño contributed to this report.

The original story was posted on the Inter-American Division news site.