Waldo E. Judge Ximenes

Beloved Husband, Father, Soldier, Attorney, who served our country for over 50 years, died peacefully at home surrounded by family and friends, on Sunday Dec 11, 2005. He was a champion of justice who understood the struggle of the poor and believed in justice for all people. In his quite manner he impacted so many individual lives either by example or by mentoring. His stories were true tales of history as told through his eyes and almost always made us laugh. To the end he lived life to its fullest, believing every moment was meaningful.

Waldo E. Ximenes, 88, was born on Nov 24, 1917 in Floresville, Wilson County, Texas, to Jose Jesus and Herlinda Ximenes. Growing up in Depression Era Texas as one of five brothers and two sisters, he graduated from Floresville High School in 1936, and attended Southwest Texas State Teachers College to obtain a teaching certificate. He went on to teach at Lodi Elementary, Floresville, Texas, for three years and served as school principal.

He was drafted in the US Army, May 1941, and served during WWII until April 1945. After the war he attended St. Mary's University, College of Law and graduated in May 1949 with a degree in Jurisprudence and a commission as a 1st Lt. in the Reserve.

He practiced law in association with Grover C. Morris for three years, but in 1952 was once again called to active duty in the Judge Advocate Dept of the US Air Force when the Korean War broke out. He was appointed to the Air Staff and Command School JAG, and became a Regular Officer in the Air Force and made a career of the military service. Besides several base assignments in the Continental US, he served with a Fighter Wing in Germany, with the joint US Military Group in Spain as Air Attaché, and 13th AF in the Philippines and Thailand. During the course of his military career he received the following battle campaign ribbons and citations: Rome-Arno - No Appenines - Po Valley - Southern France - Northern France - Rhineland - Air Combat Balkans - Korean Defense and Vietnam-Nam. American Defense Ribbon; American Theater Ribbon; European-African-Middle Eastern Ribbon with 2 Bronze and 1 Silver Stars; and a Distinguished Unit Badge.

After 25 years of military service he retired as a Lt. Colonel in 1972, with the following decorations: Air Force Commendation Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Air Force Meritorious Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster. On March 19, 1972, he was appointed a US Federal Administrative Law Judge and assigned to duty in the San Antonio Office of Hearings and Appeals for the Social Security Administration. He attended the National College of the Judiciary, University of Nevada at Reno, and in March 1974 was appointed Chief Administrative Law Judge of the San Antonio Office of Hearings and Appeals, and remained in that position until his retirement in Feb 1998.

He married in 1951 and raised a family of five children. He is preceded by his son, David Luis Ximenes, and is survived by his wife of 55 years, Mary Louise Maldonado Ximenes, his daughter, Cynthia Louise Ximenes-Stewart and husband John Stewart, and sons Samuel Waldo Ximenes and wife Sonia, Daniel Joseph Ximenes and wife Angel, and Andrew Victor Ximenes, and grandchildren Jessica Danielle Ximenes, Lauren Michelle Stewart, Andrea Candelaria Ximenes; Estefan Luis Ximenes, Gabrielle Elyse Ximenes, and Daniel Joseph Ximenes Jr. He is also survived by two brothers, Vicente Ximenes of Albuquerque, N.M., and Joe Ximenes of San Antonio, and sister, Madge Valdez of San Antonio; and preceded by brothers Ben Ximenes, and Dr. Edward T. Ximenes, and sister Hercilia Toscano.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The University of Texas at San Antonio, 6900 N. Loop 1604 West, San Antonio, TX 78249 in the name of Judge Waldo and Mary Louise Ximenes Student Emergency Fund; St. Mary's School of Law, One Camino Santa Maria, San Antonio, TX 78228; or Hospice Memorial Fund, Heartland Hospice, 5368 Fredericksburg Rd., Suite 300, San Antonio, TX 78229