August 23, 1933 - December 31, 2025
Manuel Flores was a patriarch in every sense of the word and he exemplified his deep love of family through service his entire life. At a young age, he worked several jobs to ensure his younger siblings had lunch every day at school and at age 17, he put his love of school and learning to the side and dropped out to support his family. He was an entrepreneur who proudly built his own business and worked till age 80.
He wasn’t all work though - he balanced hard work with a legendary sense of humor. He was notorious for creating new jokes, changing the lyrics to songs, and playing harmless but hilarious pranks on nieces, nephews, children and grandchildren that have been told and retold for decades. To the end, he was pitching new jokes and making people laugh.
He lived a life guided by faith and principles with a deep love of the Bible, books, and learning. His sharp intelligence led him to constantly seek knowledge and understanding and he was known for deep, thoughtful conversations as much as his jokes.
Later in life, he took up gardening and took classes in horticulture. He had the greenest of thumbs and with his wife, created a lush garden in the middle of El Paso. He balanced knowledge with the fanciful and always said the most important part of gardening was talking and singing to your plants. If he had to be inside, hopefully it was football season so he could tune in to his Cowboys.
He brought laughter, love, and kindness to the lives of all who were lucky enough to know and love him. We will miss him and his wisdom every day.
Manuel was preceded in death by his mother and father, Margarita and Manuel, his brother, Maximo, sisters Betty, Aurora, and Estela, his son Roberto, and his son-in-law, Tom Bender.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 71 years, Bartola, his children, Sylvia (Juan) of Tehuacan, Puebla, MX, Manuel Jr. (Terry) of El Paso, and Norma (Tom) of Silver City, NM, along with his eight grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and extended family.
The viewing will take place at Funeraria del Angel on Monday, January 12th, 2026 from 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm and the funeral service will be held at the Door Christian Church on Tuesday, January 13th, 2026 at 10:00 am with burial to follow.
Pallbearers include Juan Sustersick, Christopher Flores, Jonathan Bender, Roberto Flores Jr., Joseph Bender, and Joel Flores.
