With great sorrow the Polo and Gomes families announce the passing of our kind, caring and unimaginably generous husband, stepfather, grandfather, son, brother, uncle and friend Jose Gomes (Joe). Born in Braga, Portugal on October 8, 1967.

He grew up in Portugal and moved to the US when he was 18 years old where he worked with his brother Fernando in their construction company. In 1995 he met his wife and love of his life, Claudia Polo, with whom he got married in 2002. Jose and Claudia did not have any children together, but he was blessed by Claudia's extended family to whom he considered his own. He gained not only children but grandchildren, nieces, and nephews who loved him dearly. While Jose loved his new family; he had a special connection with Athalia, one of his grandchildren. Since the moment she was born, she was the light of his life. They had a beautiful father-daughter relationship that only grew stronger through the years.

Jose was a strong-willed man who was never scared to take on new opportunities and did everything with honesty and integrity. In 2005, he and his wife Claudia started their company, Triple 777 Sanitation. Jose was an extremely dedicated and hardworking man. He spent countless hours making sure everything was running smoothly and was always ready to take on whatever task necessary, from changing his trucks' oil to driving them himself. Jose took pride in his company and his work. He had very strong values and was well liked by everyone. Jose had incredible patience, and always made time to help others.

Even though most of his time was spent working in his company, he enjoyed his downtime watching TV and relaxing at home. He was a calm and quiet man who enjoyed watching sports and movies, and spending time with family and friends. He was very proud of his roots and would always talk about his beloved country, Portugal. Anyone visiting his home would enjoy the best wines, cold cuts, and portuguese sausages and cheeses.

Jose was the youngest of 18 children and is preceded in death by his father Manuel Vilas Boas, his mother Ana Loureiro Borgers, and 8 more siblings, among them brothers Joaquin, Ignacio, and Antonio.

He is survived by his wife Claudia Polo, and siblings, Fernando, Domingos, Rosa, Teresa, Maria, Emilia, Rusinda, Carlos, and Avelino. He is also survived by his stepfamily, grandchildren, nephews and nieces.

His legacy will carry on forever reminding us that with dedication everything is possible. That we choose to live a life of meaningful acts of love and service, always loving and respecting God.

Family and friends are welcome to attend the visitation and memorial services to be held at Colonial Funeral Home of Leesburg, located at 201 Edwards Ferry, Rd. NE. Leesburg, VA. 20176 on Friday, September 22nd at 12pm. The burial will follow at Ketoctin Cemetery in Purcellville, VA.

"Seeing death as the end of life is like seeing the horizon as the end of the ocean." Until we meet again. You will live forever in our hearts.