Rolando Arroyo of West Tisbury died peacefully surrounded by his family members on Monday, Dec. 1 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital where he was under hospice care. He was 76 and had been a year-round resident of the Vineyard since the late 1990s.

He was born May 3, 1932, in Venezuela. Accompanied only by an uncle, Rolando came at age 11 to New York city to seek a living. Finding jobs at this tender age and learning English and skills as he went, he ultimately assumed the position of accountant for the Venezuela Embassy in New York city. He served in the United States Army during the Korean War.

He is survived by his wife Maria Villamizar; a son, Rolando Jr. and daughter Lisette by his first marriage; as well as a stepdaughter Elsy Carolina Gray and her husband Kenneth Gray, and a grandson Zachary Gray.

A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 6 at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church in Oak Bluffs, with a reception to follow.

Donations in his memory can be sent to the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital or to Hospice, P.O. Box 2549, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557.