Wency Ambrose Kotara

Wency was born on December 7, 1924 to Tom and Paula Kotara. At the age of 12, his mother Paula died and his dad married his aunt Victoria who cared for the family for 50 years. Later, the family moved from Koscuisko, Texas to San Antonio where Wency worked for Piggly Wiggly and S.P. Transport until he joined the US Navy at the age of 18. After training, he was assigned to the USS Saratoga as a Radio operator serving in the South Pacific. Wency had been called away from the radio room to help in another area when the Saratoga radio room was hit by a Japanese submarine torpedo that killed three other sailors- he knew his life was spared that day because he had the rosary in his hands that his dad gave him before he left for sea. He served until the end of WWII and received an honorable discharge.

After leaving the Navy, Wency married the love of his life, Frances Sekula, on May 20, 1947, they raised 6 children and were married 65 years. He worked two jobs to raise his large family--36 years at Rath Meat Packing Company and part time for Brown Express. After retirement, he earned his real estate license and sold residential properties.

He is survived by all six children, Glenn (Karin) Kotara, Paula (Kirk) Carley, Gerald (Dolores) Kotara, Lynda (Herb) Stansberry, Rebecca (Troy) Richardson, and Melissa (Marty) Rodriguez, his brothers Benjamin and Adrian (Catherine) Kotara, eleven grandchildren, 3 great-grandchildren, numerous nieces, nephews and friends.

He was preceded in death by his beautiful wife, Frances, his parents, Tom and Paula Kotara, his stepmother Victoria Kotara, his brother Alois Kotara and his sister Bernice Opiela.

There were many important things in life to Wency--his loving family, being a conscientious employee, coaching his sons in the Highlands Little League, his service to his church where he was a member of the Men’s Club, the Knights of Columbus, the Parish Council, Ushers, and many more capacities. But most important was his uncompromising faith in God and the Catholic Church.

Everyone who knew Wency knew he was devoted to Frances, that he was extremely proud to be a WWII Veteran (wearing his Saratoga baseball cap everywhere he went and was honored to participate in the San Antonio Honor Flight to Washington D.C.); he was hardworking, a true Texas gentleman and a great neighbor. They also knew he loved to travel, gamble, fish and smoke cigars on the patio with a cocktail. God gave him decades of good health until he succumbed to Myelodysplastic Syndrome in his last days.

Visitation will be on Wednesday, April 20 at 6:00 followed by the Rosary at St. John Neumann Catholic Church on Crestway. Funeral Mass will be at 11:30 Thursday, April 21, at the Church, with burial to follow at Holy Cross Cemetery on Nacogdoches Rd. followed by a reception at St. John Neumann Family Center. Please sign the guestbook at www.colonialuniversal.com