Benito "Bernardo" Romo died at home in Tempe, AZ on Oct. 25, shocking his family and friends. Leaving behind his beloved son, Riley and his father, Ben Romo. Hopelessly missing him are the countless friends and coworkers who were touched by his compassionate heart and dynamic spirit.

Benito entered the world on Oct 5, with the same flare he lived. His mother, Maria endured a marathon 40-hour labor ending with a dramatic, emergency C-section. After enduring a labor like that, it is no wonder Benito remained an only child. Maria was content with her "Little Prince" (as he was called throughout childhood) and remained close with Benito until the day she died. Benito was the best thing she would leave to this world, his mother would often say.

Benito grew up in the Gilroy/Salinas area of California. Though an only child, he had no shortage of family surrounding him, including many aunts, uncles and cousins. Growing up he would spend summers with his cousins. While he loved them all, he was closest to Leticia, who was his partner in crime during his childhood years. They would swim for hours pretending their hot tub was a swimming pool, playing Zelda on the Nintendo or they would host pretend picnics together. Occasionally, they would visit Abuela in Santa Cruz walking the boardwalk where they could take advantage of Abuela’s skeeball addiction.

One summer, the family took a trip to Vancouver, to visit the World's Fair, which was a 9-hour drive from their home. The car was pretty crowded, and yet his mother insisted the "Little Prince" have his own seat. So, while his cousins and the rest of his family were crammed into the economy section of their minivan, he was riding in first class with his own seat. His cousins had to rotate positions in the minivan because it was so uncomfortable the entire trip.

As a child and teenager, Benito was a joker and loved to get a laugh. Something that didn’t change when he ‘grew up’. The first time Benito met his cousin Leticia's husband Phil, he offered Phil his bed to sleep in and he would sleep on the couch. Which was very lucky for Phil, because the thunderous drone of Benito's snoring was only surpassed by his mother's. But our Little Prince couldn't make it the full night on the couch, he climbed back into bed, pushed Leticia out and proceeded to have a spooning session with Phil. After he crowded Leticia out of the bed.

Benito graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a degree in French comparative literature. During his time there he accomplished many things, became fluent in French, cultivated a love for movies and shared his obsession with hardcore punk music to anyone who would listen. What he treasured most during this time was meeting his ex-wife Alicia. They worked at the Gap together and he would make up any excuse to visit Alicia as she manned the fitting rooms. The rest is history, four years later they introduced Riley to the world.

After Alicia received a promotion, the young family packed up their home in LA and moved to New York. They didn't have a home there yet, so Benito went three days earlier with nothing but a dream, hope and a goal to find a 2 bedroom apartment in their price range. And he did it! Once settle, he fell in love with the city and adopted it as his hometown. When they decided to move back to Phoenix, a piece of his heart was left behind.

Benito's love of cooking and cocktail making was one way he brought his friends and family together. He loved cooking from a young age and could whip up any sauce from scratch. Making esoteric ice cream like blueberry and lavender slow churn or making cocktails that were clarified one of three ways, he was drawn to the unusual and difficult side of the culinary arts. He shared this love with anyone he met.

Several years later, Benito and Alicia returned to Phoenix where he met his Game Night crew! A bunch of giant nerds, coming together to enjoy board games together. Throughout the years this group morphed, friends moved out of the states, children were born and relationships evolved. But game night always remained a constant in his life.

Benito's home was filled with what he valued. Board games. Hundreds of them all over the house. It wasn’t the games he loved so much. He loved people, loved to make them laugh and bring them together. Board games were his vehicle for connection and joy. Board games brought his people together. Benito’s uncanny ability to bring people together was one of his admirable qualities. His quirky sense of humor, boyish smile and warmth were qualities that drew people to him.

The relationships we have with others, the memories and feelings we leave behind with others are our true legacy in life. Thinking about it, Benito was a rich man. Can’t you hear him wishing he could make us all a cocktail and thinking how cool it is to have to have us all together? He would be pissed off he was missing the party.

“He loved with his whole heart, and he did so quickly”. His death is a reminder to love hard while you can, hold your loved ones close, enjoy life’s little pleasures and have fun. After all, life is just a weird game of chance. And we just don’t know when it will be our final time dropping the dice.

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