Divine Word Father Eric Vargas, 67, died Feb. 27 in Techny.

Born in New York City, he joined the Society of the Divine Word in 1963 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1975.

In the early years of his priesthood, he ministered in Naranjito, Puerto Rico. He also did pastoral work on the East Coast and in California.

He was granted early retirement for health reasons in 2004 and moved to Techny in 2008.

He is survived by his sister, Rita Santiago.