Antonio Diaz Palos

Antonio, a loving and devoted husband, father, and grandfather, is survived by daughter Dr. Belén Palos Tuley (Herschiel); sons Antonio Palos, Jr. (Tina), Rene Palos (Susan), and Julian Palos (Sandra); grandchildren Ron Palos (Rachel), Oscar Palos (Shumara), Victor Palos (Monique), Dr. Alfred A. Tuley (Jennifer) and Sara Palos (Angela).

Antonio is preceded in death by his parents, Maria Diaz Palos and Arnulfo Palos, his brother, Arnulfo Palos, Jr., and his beloved wife of over 60 years, Elia Quesada Palos.

Soon after his birth, the family moved to Knippa, Texas, a small mining community near Uvalde, Texas. Antonio’s father passed away from injuries suffered in a mining accident at the age of 28. The family then moved to Uvalde, Texas, where Antonio grew up. His education was cut short at fifth grade and he faced the challenges of growing up during the Great Depression, without a father, and the necessity to grow up quickly.

Antonio had to drop out of school in fifth grade but, was one of the most intelligent people we have ever known. He had great spatial intelligence and could estimate measurements very accurately just by looking at an object. He was a lifelong learner, always curious to learn and to find out how things worked. In the mid-sixties, he attended night classes given to parents by Miss Murray, his daughter’s sixth grade teacher. He taught himself complex math (applied math) and learned how to read blueprints. He also had a great knowledge of working with metals through his extensive welding experience. One of the first jobs he did was to use scraps from an old water tower to build a shrimp boat! Antonio also used to help his college educated co-workers during the time when he helped build the oil rigs at the shipyards in Corpus Christi in the 1980s. One of the oil rigs he helped build was the famous “Bullwinkle” oil rig.

During his career, he was often asked to take on leadership positions. He won an award for being No. 1 on Baker Marine’s safety list during his time as a fitter leadman there. The places in which he worked included Baroid, Gulf Iron Works, Berry Fabricators, Holland-LaTourneau, and Baker Marine.

Antonio had amazing mechanical abilities and he was constantly working on things around the house and fixing the family cars. Our brother, Antonio, Jr. (Tony) said, “I’ve seen him take apart engines and transmissions and put them back together. Whenever he’d take something apart to repair or rebuild, my Dad would joke, ‘Well, if it wasn’t broken before, it is now.’” We all got our sense of humor from him and our Mom. He was soft-spoken but, quick-witted and very funny. His one-liners were hilarious.

Our Mom and Dad were a perfect team. They were well matched in their values, sense of humor, love of family, intelligence, personalities – everything.

In addition to inheriting their sense of humor, we all inherited musical abilities from our parents. They were not formally trained in music but, they were excellent musicians. Our Mom sang and played the piano and Dad played the accordion and guitar. After he retired, he started practicing music more. He discovered YouTube and would learn

Flaco Jimenez solos and play along on his accordion. He used his iPad and Bluetooth to connect to a speaker that he would turn up pretty loudly. He loved to play and would carry his accordion in the trunk of his car when we visited relatives so that he could play for them. Sometimes he would join the Sunday jam session group at his daughter Belén’s house.

He was always curious and was always trying to improve himself. His mind was sharp to the very end. Our Dad was part of the Greatest Generation and served in the Army as a paratrooper and truck driver at the end of World War II.

Antonio was always sincere in his comments and opinions. He always put his family first and he was a true “old school” gentleman. He was extremely nice, kind, polite, stoic, and he carried himself with dignity but, he was also very tough in his endurance of whatever challenges came his way.

We all share the feelings expressed by our brother Tony when he says, “I learned loyalty from my Dad. When my Mom got sick toward the end, he never left her side for a year and a half. All kids love their superheroes. Antonio Diaz Palos was my superhero. You set the bar high for us. Rest in Peace, Dad. We love you. Enjoy your eternal family reunion with Jesus and all the family. Say ‘Hi’ to Ma for me. It will be hard but, we’ll carry on as best we can.”

A visitation for Antonio will be held Wednesday, July 26, 2023 from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM at Memory Gardens Funeral Home & Cemetery, 8200 Old Brownsville Road, Corpus Christi, Texas 78415. A holy rosary will occur the same evening on Wednesday, July 26, 2023 from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM.

A funeral service will occur the next day on Thursday, July 27, 2023 at 9:30 AM, 8200 Old Brownsville Road, Corpus Christi, Texas 78415.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.MemoryGardensFuneralHome.com for the Palos family.