Jo De La Rosa is mourning the loss of her father, who died earlier this month after contracting the novel coronavirus, according to a report by PEOPLE.
On Monday, the original Real Housewives of Orange County star announced the news with a heartbreaking tribute on Instagram, alongside a video montage called "The Story of Us" created to "celebrate him and remember all the happy times we shared."
"It is with the heaviest of hearts I share I lost my dad to covid last week. This pandemic has been life-changing for many people and unfortunately, covid won this time. My father, Juan Carlos Contreras, was only 63 😔," she wrote. "He was the type of person that would walk into a room and instantly capture people’s attention. He was the most charming, outgoing, playful and most “people person” of all people persons you would’ve ever met."
"I’ve never cried more tears in my life than these last few days but today, I want to celebrate him and remember all the happy times we shared so I made a video called “The Story of Us” which captures our story when my mom met him all the way until they got divorced."
"She met him at 14 as her guitar teacher and they fell in love through music 💕 He was a high school teacher, the most gifted musician, and had the silliest personality which I now realize is where I get it from. To put it simply, he was JOY ❤️," she continued. "He could do no wrong in my eyes and although my heart is filled with so much love for him, it’s also shattered and feels so heavy for not being able to reconcile sooner as it’s been 15 years since we last spoke 😔"
"That’s as much as my heart can share about our situation but I sent him an email when I found out he was in the hospital. In it, I told him I loved him and I wanted him back in my life," she wrote. "I don’t know if he ever got it but I was reminded by one of my best friends I’ll see him in Heaven again one day and we’ll have the rest of eternity to be able to reconcile. Thank you Doni for that truth as your words have been a light in my darkness 😥"
She added, "To my dad - I love you. I forgive you. You meant absolutely everything to me. I can’t wait to see you when God finally calls me and says it’s time. All I want is to be able to see you again and tell you these words face to face..."
Our thoughts and prayers are with Jo and her loved ones during this difficult time.
Photo Credit: Instagram/Jo De La Rosa
