Alfonso Varela

He is survived by his wife Sandra Santa Maria Varela, son Marcos Varela of New York City, his brother Claude Varela ( Sue) and his sister Marguerite V. Cunningham (Bill)

He is also survived by numerous cousins and many close friends.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Delia Gutierrez Varela, father Alfonso Varela and maternal grandparents Filiberto and Maria Benavidas Gutierrez.. He is a descendant of the families that settled Guerrero Viejo, Mexico and San Ygnacio (before Texas was a state.)

He was born in Laredo on October 23, 1947 one of the 27 grandchildren that blessed Dona Maria’s home on Laredo St. with mischief and merriment. Like many of his cousins, he learned from his Gutierrez aunts and uncles to love the solace, tranquility, and raw natural beauty of the ranchlands.

Alfonso grew up and was educated in Laredo, but at a young age looked forward to weekends traversing the pastures and arroyos of Santa Maria Ranch near San Ygnacio

on the beloved cow ponies La Nicla and La Media Naranja. His mentors in land stewardship and the value of sunrise to sunset workdays were his uncles Romeo, Aurelio, Filiberto and Oscar Gutierrez.

On days that he accompanied his mother and grandmother to San Ygnacio to visit his great aunt and uncle he brought his red Columbia Rambler (the beginning of his love for vehicles, about which he used to like to say his “ Y chromosome had wheels attached to it”) to ride up and down the unpaved streets and to make his way to the banks of the Rio Grande.

Alfonso attended St. Joseph’s Academy and graduated from Nixon High School in 1966.

He studied at the University of the Americas in Mexico City and graduated with high honors (2nd in his class) in 1972 from the University of Texas with a degree in architecture.

He established Varela Design Inc. in 1983 and prior to that held lead design positions with Caudill Rowlett Scott,S.I Morris, James Sink Associates and 3D/International. Over the half-century span of his career he designed over 20 million square feet of space with a

construction value in excess of $2 billion. His designs are part of the landscape of many American cities as well as Dubai, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Monterrey, Mexico City, Caracas,Dhahran and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. His architectural career resonated with pleasing, masterful designs tailored to the aesthetics and needs of his high-end commercial, institutional, and residential clients. Influenced by his heroes –Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Khan, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and Luis Barragan-Alfonso created his own unique voice within the architectural genre, and his work inspired many in the architectural world and beyond.

His penchant for detail and organization was present in every aspect of his life, from his sock drawer to the care of his late mother’s 1981 Buick Regal to his vibrant personal style.

Alfonso and Sandra were married in Oaxaca, Mexico on April 15, 1983. Alfonso was a devoted husband to Sandy and a supportive father to Marcos Varela, an acclaimed musician and composer who has furthered his father’s legacy with a storied artistic career of his own.

A private memorial service is pending in San Ygnacio, Texas.