Joe Gomes served up a taste of his native Portugal when he entertained.

He fired up his grill and filled it with all manner of meats whether it was a planned party or a spontaneous gathering.

Family photo (ENLARGE)

Joe Gomes was an envoy for Vietnamese athletes during the Olympic Games in Atlanta. He became a U.S. citizen in 1973.

"His favorite time was when he was out at the grill," said his son, Joey Gomes of Boston.

"Joe was just a real gregarious kind of guy. He loved to entertain at the drop of a hat," said his friend Dr. Tim O'Shea of Decatur. "Going to Joe's was like going to a Brazilian steakhouse. He would make six or seven kinds of meat."

Mr. Gomes' hospitality extended right out of his house on the 17th hole and onto the golf course at Apalachee Farms in Gwinnett County.

"He was lots of fun to play with," Dr. O'Shea said. "Joe would always bring lunch for us. Everybody would eat on the run, and when we went by his house, somebody would pass beer out to us."

The memorial Mass for Jose da Rocha Gomes, 60, of Dacula is at 11 a.m. Friday at All Saints Catholic Church. H.M. Patterson & Son, Oglethorpe Hill, is in charge of arrangements. Mr. Gomes died of a heart attack March 19 while on a business trip in Brazil. "He was with two friends at the finest Portuguese restaurant in Sao Paulo" when he died, his son said.

Mr. Gomes moved from his native Terceira Island in the Portuguese Azores in 1965 and became a U.S. citizen in 1973.

"He was so proud of this country," his son said. "He was such a patriot. He would tear up when he heard that Lee Greenwood song, 'Proud to be an American.' "

At home, he preserved his Portuguese culture in the kitchen cooking bacalhau, a traditional salted cod dish, and alcatra, a Portuguese pot roast. "We grew up listening to traditional Portuguese music and watching bullfights on television by satellite," his son said.

With degrees in agricultural engineering and business, Mr. Gomes traveled the world selling animal medicines and nutrition.

He grew up riding horses and immediately volunteered when he learned of the therapeutic riding program at Chastain Horse Park. "He loved horses and had a love of children with special needs," his son said. "It was a natural fit for him."

Since he spoke five languages — Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, French and English, which he learned after moving to America — Mr. Gomes volunteered with the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

"He thought he would be assigned to the Brazilian or Portuguese athletes," said his daughter, Kara Gomes of Atlanta. "But because he spoke French, he was an envoy for the Vietnamese athletes. They needed a neutral person."

Even after his children graduated from Marist School, Mr. Gomes remained an avid supporter. "We would go to a lot of Marist football games," Dr. O'Shea said. "You couldn't beat it for entertainment."

Mr. Gomes' ethics were impressive, his friend said. "Joe was a very rigorously moral person. He was not afraid to do the right thing even it would get himself into trouble."

"Joe was the father, the son, the husband you wanted to be," Dr. O'Shea said.

Survivors include his wife, Judy Gomes; his parents, Merces and Jose Gomes of Turlock, Calif.; two sisters, Velma Furtado of Turlock and Mary Lobao of Escalon, Calif.; two brothers, Tony Gomes of Turlock and Louis Gomes of San Jose, Calif.; and a grandson.