Luiz Antonio da Silva was born in the city of Cambui in Brazil on October 27, 1935. He came from a large family of 10 children. His parents Joaquim and Julia moved to Extrema, Brazil around his 17th birthday after purchasing land and a distillery for a popular alcohol known as Aguardiente. He helped the family operate the business until having to serve Brazil's mandatory National Guard at age 18. Upon his return from the National Guard, he met his future wife and they were soon married on July 31, 1958. He began to take correspondence classes to learn English in hopes of a better career in the city. As fate would have it, he learned of a cousin who had moved to New York. With their help, he prepared to make the move to America. Without any money, just his will to succeed, he took a loan from his cousin and made the journey with his wife and three small children to Yonkers, New York. There he worked at St. Joseph's Medical Center, working double shifts until he paid back his loan and saved enough money to return to Brazil and buy his first home.  A few years later he decided on a permanent move back to America and settled in Houston, Texas. Here he worked at Houston Northwest Medical Center for many years, bought his dream house, and retired. He was a quiet man and lived a humble life, occasionally splurging for a meal at Los Cucos, his favorite Mexican restaurant. After many years battling Parkinson's disease, he passed away on July 31, 2020, on his 62nd wedding anniversary. He is remembered by his wife, 5 children, 7 grandchildren, and 1 great-grandchild.

Rest in Peace Papa Bear.