Born on October 3, 1965, in Cameron, Texas, to Ruby McKinley and Raul Rodriguez Sr., Raul was raised in Central Texas, where he spent most of his life. Surrounded by the love of a large extended family, he carried their closeness as a lifelong source of home and belonging.
Raul loved to sing and dance, sharing music freely with those around him. With a sharp memory and a gift for storytelling, he always had a song, a joke, or a story ready to lift a room.
His Catholic faith shaped that joy. Steady in prayer, rooted in the Rosary, and lived out in kindness, his devotion to God was evident in the way he treated others each day.
Raul worked in hospitality before serving with the State of Texas in the Texas Board of Pardon and Paroles and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program until his retirement in 2018.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Ruby McKinley and Raul Rodriguez Sr.
He is survived by his sister, Frances Jiron, and her husband, Paul; and by his brother, Richard Rodriguez, and his partner, Gaylan. He also leaves behind a loving extended family of nieces and nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews, cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends.
A rosary and visitation will be held on Sunday, September 7, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm with Rosary at 7:00pm at Crawford-Bowers Funeral Home, Temple, Texas. The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Temple on Monday, September 8, at 10:00am. Burial will follow at St. Monica’s Catholic Cemetery in Cameron. His family warmly welcomes all who knew and loved Raul to join in prayer and celebration of his life.
