Sunrise: September 8, 1923
Sunset: April 19, 2020
Natividad Cortez, was born on September 8, 1923 in Cameron, TX. Natividad was the first-born child of Alejandro Sr. and Petra Hernandez Cortez. As a young boy he worked as a farm laborer in San Benito, TX. On September 13, 1945, he enlisted into the United Sates Navy during World War II on board ship U.S.S. Bunker Hill at age 22. Shortly after departure from the U.S. Navy he enrolled into a vocational school where he studied auto body and mechanics. In May of 1948, he married Consuelo Hernandez in Dallas, TX. In the 1970’s, he partnered with Herman McGee and opened a full-service Exxon gas station in east Dallas where he worked on repairing cars. In 1988, he retired from Alford Refrigerated Warehouses Inc., the Southwest’s largest public refrigerated warehouse company where he worked for 45 years. He loved the outdoors and enjoyed deer hunting and fishing. He was also known to many by the nicknames: Cortez, Pancho and Naté. Natividad was literally a friend to all and was always willing to lend a helping hand – no one was ever a stranger. Never was there a day that you would not catch him outside with his buddies working in the garage and drinking a beer!
Natividad entered into eternal rest on April 19, 2020 at the age of 96. He is proceeded in death by his devoted wife of 55 years Consuelo Cortez; brothers Santiago Cortez Sr. and Alejandro Cortez Jr.; sisters Juanita Castro, Elvira Cortez and Teresa Hernandez. He leaves behind his son Jose Cortez and wife Daisy and his daughter Martha Cortez Gutierrez; one grandson Marcus Gutierrez and six granddaughters: Ariella Gutierrez, Grace Rodriguez, Bernadette Cipriano, Janice Puente, Sylmar Mota and Claudia Rubalcado along with 16 great grandchildren and a host of nephews and nieces.
