Manuel Antonio ("Tony") Rodriguez, age 72, of Lexington, Massachusetts, died on Sunday, October 1st, with his wife, Janet, and daughter, Nicole, by his side.

Tony was a tireless advocate for social justice.  He was much loved by family, many friends, co-workers, and by those who benefitted from his advocacy.

Tony was born in Puerto Rico and moved to Massachusetts in 1969 to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  He received his bachelor's degree in civil engineering from MIT and a Master's in Engineering Management from Boston University.  He soon changed course and became a software engineer, working at several financial institutions over the years.  After serving as Vice President of Trading Systems at Fidelity Investments, Tony dedicated much of his post-career life to advocating for immigrants in Massachusetts and at the southern US border.  He volunteered extensively with immigration organizations including the Mabel Center for Immigrant Justice, KIND (Kids in Need of Defense), BIJAN (Boston Immigrant Justice Accompaniment Network), the Unitarian Universalist (UU) Immigrant Justice Team and the Immigration Justice Task Force, Massachusetts Immigrant Collaborative, Rian Immigrant Center, and others to provide material  resources and legal support to innumerable asylum seekers. In each role, he was known for his warmth and empathy as well as his tenacity.  Tony's volunteer work changed the course of thousands of lives.

Tony also tutored young people for their high school equivalency tests and prepared immigrants to pass the US citizenship test. He served on the boards of the UU Urban Ministry, UUMass Action, and the Mabel Center for Immigrant Justice.

Tony is survived by Janet Donovan, his wife of fifty years, his daughter Nicole and her partner Nikki.  Tony leaves his mother, Rita, and his brother Pedro and wife Martha. He also leaves his beloved sisters- and brothers-in-law, cousins, his aunt, and nieces and nephews. Tony cared for his father, Manuel Antonio, for the year leading up to his death in 2021.

There will be a memorial service for Tony on Sunday, October 15th, at 2:00 p.m.  The service will be held at First Parish in Concord, 20 Lexington Road.  Friends and family who are unable to attend in person are invited to join online.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8788643928

Webinar ID: 878 8643 9285

Join by phone:

(929) 205-6099 (eastern US)

(669) 900-6833 (western US)

International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kd0SGXVbEm

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the organizations that Tony supported.