Community Says Goodbye To TV Journalist

FUNERAL services for renowned Costa Rican TV reporter José Angel Monge were held Wednesday afternoon at a church in the south San José neighborhood of Desamparados.

Monge died Tuesday morning of pneumonia. The 46-year-old journalist, originally from Desamparados, passed away shortly after 8 a.m., less than two days after being admitted to San José’s Hospital Calderón Guardia on Sunday evening.

During his 25 years with Televisora de Costa Rica (Teletica), Monge covered numerous political and athletic events, including Pope John Paul II’s historic visit to Costa Rica in 1983 and the U.S. military invasion of Grenada later that year. He also reported on every national election from 1978 to 1998.

Monge began working at Teletica in 1979 after briefly working in radio. He spent the last several years with Teletica Deportes and Deporte 7, reporting on the Costa Rican national soccer team and regional professional teams.