Juan Pablo Marulanda, 78, of East Elmhurst, NY passed away on April 21, 2026 surrounded by his family.

Juan Pablo was born on June 1, 1947 in Filadelfia, Colombia, the tenth child of Felix Antonio Marulanda and Maria Luisa Montes. He moved with his family to Bogotá, Colombia one year later due to the conflict in the country. In 1965, he emigrated to New York.

Juan Pablo graduated from New York University with a Bachelor’s degree in accounting, working as an accountant at the university’s bursar’s office in order to pay for tuition. Later in life, he earned a Master’s degree from Taft University in forensic accounting.

Juan Pablo met Luz Maria Marulanda (née Gonzalez) on September 26, 1986 at a birthday party for Diego Salazar. They got married on October 31, 1987 and remained married for 38 years, 5 months, and 21 days and had two children, Daniel and David.

Juan Pablo worked as an accountant for his whole life, with his longest role being with the Internal Revenue Service, where he served 33 years as a forensic accountant in the service's multinational division. He retired in 2015 to spend more time with family.

He loved gardening and researching his family’s history. In 2018, he traveled to Marulanda, Spain and met with distant relatives and local historians, learning many things about the Marulanda family tree. A book he was writing about the Marulanda family remains incomplete, but will be carried on by his son Daniel. He was always preoccupied with making a positive impact on the world and had a strong devotion to Saint Padre Pio. He was the happiest whenever he was around his grand-daughter Rosie, applauding every little thing she did.

He was a great father, a great abuelo, a great husband, a great brother, a great tío, a great Catholic, a great citizen, a great friend, a great neighbor, and a great example to follow.

Juan Pablo remains in the memory of his children, Daniel and David, his wife Luz Maria, his grand-daughter Rosie, his daughter-in-law Kate, his brothers Absalon, Diego, Guillermo, Jaime, Mario, and Ruben Dario, his sisters Elisa, Marta, and Fanny, and in the memory of the countless others that loved him and called him friend.

Preceding Juan Pablo in death are his parents, Felix Antonio and Maria Luisa, his sisters Sophie and Toni, and his brother Felix.

Memorial services will be held on May 1 at Drago Funeral Home in Astoria. A funeral mass will be held at St. Joan of Arc in Jackson Heights on May 2.