Photo courtesy of Ashley Tineo.
Jorge Stanley Parrales began his life in Ecuador before finding his way to the United States with his family in the 1990s. He had one goal: to give them a better life.
Parrales spent his years in the U.S. building a life in New Jersey becoming the owner of Stanley Promotions, which found a home in West New York. Family members told Slice of Culture that he took great pride in his family and the life they had built together.
Then, this past Easter, the Parrales family’s life was turned upside down when they learned that Jorge had been diagnosed with cancer.
The Early Years
Growing up in Babahoyo, Ecuador, Jorge lost both of his parents at a young age and was left to help care for his other siblings. As one of the older children, he learned early on that he would have to work to help support his family.
“He was a very humble man,” his daughter Ashley Tineo shared. “They came from poverty.”
By the age of 10, Jorge was selling bread after school. As a teenager, he continued finding ways to earn money, eventually selling sub sandwiches.
Before coming to the U.S., Jorge and his wife, Hevita Parrales, had already built careers in Ecuador.
Hevita and Jorge met while attending the same college. And, despite their education, they struggled to find the financial opportunities to build the future they wanted.
Coming To America
Jorge’s journey to the U.S. was largely due to his son’s health. His son was sick and needed to see a specific doctor, prompting the family to cross the border twice before finally arriving in 1993.
“From the very first day we arrived in this country, the goal was for my son to get better and to support the family by working every day,” shared Hevita.
The first attempt to enter the United States did not go as planned.
His wife and their two young sons, Jorge and Stanley, who were five and three years old, were caught by border control after stopping to use the bathroom during the journey. Jorge, who had not been caught, had the opportunity to continue on without them, but he made the decision to stay with his family.
“My dad could have kept walking,” Tineo recalled. “But, he chose to say, ‘Hey, I’m with them.'”
After arriving in the United States, his son got the medical care he needed.
Stanley Promotions
In the U.S., the Parrales’ began working in different factories while residing in Hudson County. Jorge was working in screen-printing and Hevita in embroidery.
“I worked alongside my brother struggling day-by-day, but we achieved our goal,” Hevita recalled. “Thank God, we were able to provide an education for our children and had the means to cover our living expenses, rent and everything.”
In 2005, Jorge began Stanley Promotions in a small factory with just one machine. It started after he met the owner of Cover Stitches, a uniform store on 55th Street in West New York, and the two discussed the possibility of going into business together.
“My mom said she would use our regular oven to bake the shirts,” Tineo said.
By 2012, he had transitioned to a much larger warehouse located at 5508 Polk Street in West New York, where they operated with even more machines.
“That’s the place where he worked until he passed away,” said Tineo.
As Stanley Promotions continued to grow, Jorge built a reputation not only for the quality of his work, but also for the way he treated others. He remained humble, supporting others who were trying to establish themselves in the U.S.
“My husband always paid the workers well. He gave them tips, T-shirts, food, whatever he could. He’d help anyone he could.”
– Hevita Parrales
The business worked with clients in New York, such as souvenir shops and even had a contract with Jack Daniels. He worked constantly to keep up with demand, often putting in long hours on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
His dedication did not go unnoticed.
“They said they never met someone who worked through the holidays. My husband was punctual. If he said he’d work Tuesday, he worked Tuesday,” shared Hevita.
“We didn’t really face obstacles except that we were immigrants and didn’t have papers, but that never stopped us. It wasn’t as difficult back then as it is now.”
For Tineo, the life her father built in the U.S. represented the fulfillment of his goal. The sacrifices he made as a child, immigrant, husband and father allowed his children to grow up with opportunities he never had.
“If it wasn’t for him, I would be somewhere in Ecuador,” she said.
Tineo reflected on the memories Stanley Promotions gave her, such as walking to the factory after school with her friends to hang out in middle school and high school.
“I would have never thought that he would be able to do that, not knowing English and not having papers most of the time. I’m very proud that he built that legacy in Stanley Promotions.”
– Ashley Tineo
Jorge, His Children and Grandchildren
For Tineo, her father had a huge impact on her character. She remembered him as a strict father, but whose discipline came from a deep love to protect his children.
“After him passing away, I know the reason why he was doing it,” she said. “He lost his parents at a young age, and it affected him a lot. He wanted me to become an independent women. He was always in my corner rooting for me.”
His honesty and advice were not always easy to hear, but she came to understand that his strictness was his way of preparing her for a future without him.
“I think for the most part he did it to protect me in case something ever happened to him, which in this case, something did happen to him,” she said. “He wanted me to be okay.”
Despite the family financial struggles, Jorge made sure his children never felt it. She said she did not realize how difficult things were at times for her family until she was older.
“I didn’t know that there were times where we might not have had something. I was given everything and I was very spoiled by my father,” she said.
“The first time we went to a restaurant was for my middle school graduation. I ordered rice and fried eggs because I thought that was fancy food,” she said.
One of the most meaningful memories Tineo has of her father is when he called her after her daughter, Aria, was born.
“He’s very big on my privacy because I’m a woman, so he didn’t want to come to the hospital,” she recalled. “But he FaceTimed me and I’m showing him the baby. He was actively crying.”
The bond between her father and daughter continued to grow.
Tineo remembered one of the last times they spent together was when her father was outside doing lawn work and Aria was by his side.
“They were really close,” she said. “They had their own little language that they understood and their own inside jokes.”
And while Tineo knows her daughter may not be old enough to remember all of those moments herself, she hopes to make those memories remain a part of her life.
“It’s sad that she’s not really going to remember that,” she shared. “But that’s my job as her mom, to remind her of the memories she had with him.
Jorge’s Cancer Diagnosis
Jorge was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer on April 5. He died just after Memorial Day weekend.
Because Jorge did not speak English, much of his communication with doctors depended on interpreters. Tineo remembered one of the most difficult moments was when an interpreter delivered his cancer diagnosis through an iPad.
“That’s when it all started getting serious and sad,” Tineo recalled. “Basically, the iPad comes into the room saying ‘I am sorry to tell you, you have cancer.’ It wasn’t even a human interaction because of the translation.”
Even while hospitalized, Jorge continued to oversee his business. From his hospital bed, he was approving samples.
“He was so invested in his business,” she said. “He’s getting chemotherapy and he had three open heart surgeries. The first thing he cared about was his job. He would be like ‘Give me the phone. I need to approve this.'”
Continuing the business became another reason to keep fighting through the pain of treatment and surgery.
“I remember that’s what actually got him to continue and do the chemo, go through the pain and go through surgery,” she said.
The family had to step in and take him off the job as his health deteriorated. He was upset that he could no longer continue, but it was something the family knew they had to do.
Hevita was with her husband constantly, sleeping in a chair beside his hospital bed for roughly three weeks.
“She would just come home to shower and go back to him. They would stay together the entire time,” Tineo recalled.
On Monday, May 25, the family was told that Jorge was actively dying.
“They told us ‘He has hours. Come, let everyone know that he is dying,'” she added.
The family opened visitation, allowing anyone who wanted to say final goodbyes to come to the hospital.
That Monday night, the family would have their last conversation with Jorge. Tineo fainted around 4 a.m. on Tuesday morning and the family returned home for about two hours before going back to the hospital. By then, Jorge did not regain consciousness. Jorge passed away on Wednesday, May 27.
“We all stayed in the hospital,” she said. “We didn’t want to leave.”
“They were saying that the reason why he hadn’t passed yet was [because of how strong his heart was.] His heart was the one that failed and he needed three surgeries.” she said. “I believe it was because of the love that he had.”
Paint & Sip at Stanley Promotions
This past July, Stanley Promotions held one final special day before movers arrived and the space was handed over.
Family and friends gathered in the space to paint a SpongeBob-themed artwork.
“Most of us grew up here at [Stanley Promotions]. We got here somehow,” shared Tineo who had friends travel to support her. “Life keeps going… [gathering with friends] is to make a really sad memory into a very positive night.”
The legacy Jorge leaves behind is rooted in the values he lived by every day.
“Be humble and thankful to God,” Hevita shared, saying those are the words she believes he would want people to remember as part of his legacy.
