Juan Edmundo Octavio Victor Alfaro Holbrook's Obituary
Juan Edmundo Octavio Victor Alfaro Holbrook, was born in Talcahuano, Chile on September 22, 1930. Descended from a line of Welsh seafarers—his father a ship chandler’s son, his mother a captain’s daughter—his parents began as homesteaders before his father, Gustavo, eventually found success as a banker. Juan was their second child. In his early years he survived diphtheria, tuberculosis, and small pox. Though at first he struggled academically, his mind ignited while studying in trade school, opening to a great love for the sciences. He received a scholarship to study physics at University College, London. In England he met Giovanna Ravetti from Italy, whom he married in London in 1959.
Shortly after their son David was born in 1960, Juan and Giovanna set off on a 66-day navigation from Liverpool to Viña del Mar, Chile. After teaching at the Polytechnic Institute in Santiago for a few years, Juan received two National Science Foundation scholarships to pursue graduate study in the US. After moving to America with his family, he earned a Master’s degree in Physics at Cornell University, where their daughter Cornelia was born in 1964, and a PhD in Material Science from the University of Florida in 1972. Feeling welcomed into the Gainesville community, and due to political unrest in Chile, Juan and his family applied to become naturalized citizens. Their daughter, Andrea, was born in Gainesville in 1969.
While a professor at Santa Fe College, Juan helped his wife Giovanna with starting Holbrook Travel, a pioneering ecotourism company. He later left his teaching position to work with her at Holbrook, where he oversaw the computerization, accounting, and played a major supporting role in the company. His love of trekking and climbing, which started during his youth in the Andes, led him to guide many treks for Holbrook groups, including the famous Inca Trail from Cusco to Machu Picchu. Juan directed the initiative to become the first underwriter of WRUF FM 89.1, the NPR affiliate for the University of Florida. His love of classical music led him to found Pro-Arte Musica with Bernice Maskin, a program which encouraged and funded classical musicians to perform for Gainesville audiences. He also assisted Giovanna in establishing Selva Verde Lodge & Private Reserve, which still today protects over 500 acres of rainforest in Costa Rica.
During the early 1980’s Juan and Giovanna undertook the restoration of the historic McKenzie House, an iconic Victorian home built in 1895 that is now part of the Sweetwater Branch Inn Bed & Breakfast owned and operated by daughter, Cornelia. Juan and his family also restored the Bodiford and Hendrix houses, both historic homes in downtown Gainesville.
Following his retirement, he created a blacksmithing workshop at his home in Gainesville and delighted in making beautiful and functional pieces such as tables, candelabras, and more. He especially enjoyed teaching and sharing his craft. Beloved by his children, he was an intelligent, curious, kind father and man, with a lively sense of humor.
Juan is survived by his three children, David Holbrook , Cornelia Holbrook, and Andrea Holbrook-Wagman, and five grandchildren Julia Holbrook Rasmussen, Agatha Wagman, Juan Carson Holbrook, Duane Luca Holbrook, and Grant Fitzgerald. He was preceded in death by his sister, Eva Alfaro, and brother, Marcelo Alfaro.
A Celebration of Juan’s Life will be held on Sunday, November 2, 2025 from 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. at Sweetwater Branch Inn: https://bit.ly/JuanAlfaroHolbrookCelebrationofLife
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