Louis Angel Lugo

Louis Angel Lugo was born September 22, 1958 in Brooklyn, New York to Antonio Lugo and Aida Maldonado. She was a single mom. He had two sisters: Iris and Madeline. He was the youngest. Louis grew up in the projects in a tough area of town called Bed-stuy , also known as “ Bed-stuy do or Die”. Louis said, “as a young kid, the streets raised him”. He learned to be a hustler, a pusher and a con man. He earned a reputation as a gangster and people feared him. In spite of his delinquent childhood and teen years, Louis did earn a high school diploma. He graduated from Franklin K. Lane High School in Brooklyn, New York.  They were happy to see him leave. Louis got deeper into the criminal lifestyle. He wanted the “American Dream” and he struggled every step
of the way as he gambled with his life to attain it. Louis had a reputation as a sharp dresser. He had a style of his own. He dressed impeccably.  Everything had to match. They called him “Joe Cool” or “The Lug’, which he named himself. People on the street feared him. They would move to the other side of the street to get away from him. He was proud to call himself a charmer because he was good at it. All the ladies loved him.

In 1981, Louis and Regina Lyons were introduced to each other by mutual friends via the telephone.  She also lived in Brooklyn in the Bed-stuy community. They developed a fast friendship. They talked to each other almost every day by telephone before they met face to face. She was eighteen years old and he was twenty-three years old. Regina’s mother did not like Louis and Louis’s
mother did not approve of Regina. “The neighborhood ladies were jealous because Louis chose me”, Regina recalls. Their first date was at a club in Brooklyn. Louis loved to dance and socialize. His favorite dance was the Hustle. He could clear the dance floor showing off his moves.  Regina didn’t dance. She enjoyed watching Louis have fun.

On December 22, 1985, Louis and Regina got married after dating for one year. They relocated to Columbus, Ohio in 1987 with baby Louis. The family grew. Tiffany, Crystal and Antonio were born.  Louis was still chasing the American dream. He resorted to some of his old habits that unfortunately caused him to lose his freedom. In 1998, Louis was sentenced to prison for
serious time for serious crimes. He had a debt to pay to society. Louis was a veteran of the United State Army. He served from June 21, 1977, to October 26, 1977. His rank was Private First Class. He received a medal as a sharpshooter, and he was honorable discharged.

Louis became interested in martial arts in his late twenties. He met Rick Moore, the owner of the Academy of Martial Arts in Columbus, Ohio.  Louis became one of his students and later a teacher and also a sponsor.  He lived and breathed martial arts. It kept him balanced.

While in prison, Louis got permission from the guards to start an exercise class for inmates to teach them kick boxing. The guards’ rule was no contact allowed. During a visit, Louis told his wife that he wanted to change. He was tired of watching his children grow up before his eyes while he was behind bars.

Thus his road to repentance began. God watched as Louis hit rock bottom, waiting for him to open his heart to Him.

Louis prayed and asked God to help him get out of prison to see his children grow up. He began reading his Bible seriously. He repented and was converted. Louis became a new person. He served five and a half years in prison. When he was released, he began his “new life” in Christ.  The old Louis was dead! With the support and encouragement of his wife and the love of his children, Louis kept his vow to the Lord.

Regina recalls, “We were together 42 years but legally married 37 years.  We had our ups and downs, but it was all about family. Louis’ children loved him dearly, and he supported everything they did.” Louis taught them that family was everything. He shared with them that he felt he didn’t have a family growing up. He would sleep on the subway trains.  He confessed that the only reason he would rob or steal was because he was hungry. Louis shared that he was the “black sheep” of his family, and he vowed his family would not be dysfunctional! They were loyal to each other. They respected one another and Louis was a good provider.

Louis was very generous. He loved people. He would talk to total strangers and pray for them. He would give his last cent to help anyone. He shared what he had randomly, but God always provided for his family. 

Louis’ favorite color was green because money was green. His favorite subject in school was math. He said, “You need to be able to count your money. Just think of everything you have as money. You don’t want to lose your money.” His favorite foods were rice and beans, Regina’s special spaghetti, mayonnaise sandwiches, oatmeal with blueberries, and tea. Louis always needed a piece of cake and a cup of tea before bed every night. Some of his hobbies included reading scientific literature about aerospace, climate change, and etc. He liked to watch “Antiques
Roadshow” and documentary programs in general. He loved to play Spades. Regina was always his partner. They always won because they cheated using special signals. the last time they played spades was on Thanksgiving day 2022 with his daughter Tiffany and son in-law Thai.  Tiffany and Thai both agreed how good they both were as partners and smacked them in the game!

Louis also enjoyed the Dojo (the training Hall) to practice self-defense techniques. Louis, his wife, and all of the children were martial artists.  All of the children are 4th-degree black belts. His wife is 5th-degree and Louis was a 6th-degree black belt. When Louis taught martial arts, students aged three years old to 17 years old were his favorite age group. He was able to make positive impressions on them. He enjoyed it so much. He said it didn’t seem like a job. In 2011, Louis’ book was published. The title is, “Crossroads: The Louis Lugo Story — From Gangster to BELIEVER!” Louis and Regina also published the “Ohio Martial Arts Magazine,” which they sold to help sponsor young martial artists to attend competition meets. Louis loved playing with his
grandchildren in the summertime. They would play football, baseball, basketball, and jump on the trampoline. He would make sure the kiddie pool and slip-n-slide were up for the babies, Manny and Bella. Louis would beam from ear to ear with pride regarding his children. Tiffany recalls, “When I got my driver’s license, Dad gave me the biggest hug.  He was so proud when any of us won an award in martial arts. He was our gest fan and cheerleader. He always bragged about his family to anyone who would listen.”

Louis joined the Beacon of Hope Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Columbus, Ohio. Pastor Joel Johnson baptized him. He served as an Elder and was part of the Prison Ministry Team with Elder Dolores Cherry. He was also active in Community Service with his wife. Pastor Charles Osborne III was his current pastor. Louis’ favorite Bible text was Romans 8:28, and he favorite hymn was “Amazing Grace.” When Louis surrendered all to the Lord, he really changed. His wife said, “The way he talked, the words he used, his facial expressions, his habits, everything about him changed—from a Gangster to a BELIEVER!”

Louis Angel Lugo passed away on March 1, 2023, at Mount Carmel Hospital East in Columbus, Ohio. He was preceded in death by his father, Antonio Lugo and his sisters, Iris Lugo and Madeline Hall.  Those who love him and will miss him are his wife, Regina; children, Louis (Alison) Lugo, Tiffany (Khamthai) Nanthavongdouangsy, Crystal Lugo, and Antonio Lugo; grandchildren, Giovanni, Aaliyah, and Immanuel Nanthavongdouangsy and Isabella Crawford (father, Montrell Crawford); mother, Aida Maldonado; aunt, Zoriada Maldonado; sister- in-law, Linda Lyons; brother-in-law, Charles Hall; cousins, Aaron and Tyrone; and a host of nieces and nephews.

REST IN PEACE UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN

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