Cruisin’ around Canterbury

Cruisin’ around Canterbury

You may have noticed the recent arrival of a certain gorgeous, bright red, antique MG on the premises of Canterbury Court. Curious about this amazing ride’s owner? It’s none other than Dr. Eduardo Angel and owning this gorgeous machine is the fulfillment of a longtime dream. “Since I was very young, I remember some of my friends having an MG or sporty car and I wished to have one too but life and circumstances didn’t allow me to have one,” says Dr. Angel. As he approached his 90th birthday, he shared his enduring wish with his family. They all contributed to help him purchase this most special birthday gift. After some searching, Dr. Angel located his car in California; it was delivered via flatbed truck to Atlanta. “It’s the most beautiful car I could have imagined. It’s a 1952 MG. It’s almost as old as I am,” says Dr. Angel with a smile.

Known by many as “Yito” (because his sister could not pronounce Eduardito), Dr. Angel has been a fixture at Canterbury Court for 16 years now. He was born and grew up in Columbia. He began his medical training there but then received a scholarship from the Rockefeller Foundation and finished his education at Tulane University in New Orleans. He and his wife, Consuelo, started their family in the U.S. and then eventually returned to Columbia. A few years later, Dr. Angel was invited to be a visiting professor at The University of Puerto Rico; the family relocated and stayed there for 20 years. An appointment to full professor at Southern Mississippi University was next, and then another stint in Puerto Rico to practice medicine. In the meantime, he became a certified airplane pilot and enjoyed flying with the family along the Caribbean Islands and the southern United States. The conclusion of Dr. Angel’s professional career was in Macon, Georgia, where he practiced for another 20 years.

Upon retirement Dr. and Mrs. Angel decided to move to Atlanta to be closer to one of their daughters (she lives in Buckhead). She suggested they look for a senior living community so that they could have independence but also care if it was needed. They began looking at various places and found that Canterbury Court was the friendliest of the ones they toured. They made Canterbury Court their home in 2007.

The couple was able to stay in their independent living apartment together for eight years before Mrs. Angel was diagnosed with dementia. She moved to the Nursing Pavilion in 2015 and lived there until she passed away in January 2023. Dr. Angel would visit her every day, bringing her outside to the community’s lovely gardens and then home to their independent living apartment for dinner. They would eat and pray together and then Dr. Angel would return her to the Nursing Pavilion. Consuelo was the love of Eduardo’s life; they were married for 62 years.

Dr. and Mrs. Angel have three daughters, Genie, Marcella, and Connie. They also have seven exceptional grandchildren of whom Dr. Angel is incredibly proud. The grandchildren have graduated from a wide variety of esteemed universities, including Harvard, Johns Hopkins, The Wharton School of Business, Boston College, MIT, and The University of Wisconsin.

Though Dr. Angel planned to go around the world on a ship in January 2024, he cancelled when he decided 128 days at sea might be tiresome. Instead, he prefers to entertain himself by driving around in his new sporty car, reading, and listening to classical music.