Ramon Macareno

FARMERSVILLE, CA - He was one of a kind. The life of the party kind of guy. Our beloved dad, brother, uncle, and friend Raymond Macareno Sr., 60, was with loved ones for the last time on Thursday, April 21 in his Farmersville home before leaving to be with our Lord.

Raymond was born May 31, 1961, in Weslaco, Texas to Julian Sr. and Dolores Macareno. He was number ten of 14 brothers and sisters.

He is survived by his son Raymond Jr. and his wife Micaela; his daughters Abigail and Krista; his brothers Robert, Julian, Jimmy, Roy, Ruben, Augie and his sister Mary; and his seven grandchildren, one great grandchild and numerous nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his grandmother Vicenta Campos who helped raise the family, his parents, his brothers John, Catarino Sr., Manuel, Martin and sisters Rosie and Stephanie.

Raymond lived life to the fullest. He was a businessman, artist, musician, and an avid pool player. Most of his adult life he lived in San Angelo, Texas on his country ranch until his recent return to Farmersville.

Nothing was more important to Raymond than those he loved. Making sure there was always food and drink for family and friends to enjoy. He loved to entertain, sing, bond, and perform magic tricks for adults and children alike. As an artist, he also painted murals.

As a young man, he enjoyed playing in bands with his brother Manuel. Also, he entered dance contests locally and joined his brothers and sister on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand on occasion.

At a very young age, Raymond worked in the agricultural fields in the San Joaquin Valley with his family. When he was about 10 years old, he began helping on the weekends and after school at the local hardware store in Farmersville where he learned the basics of business by store owner Paul Freeman. Then a short time later he worked down the street at Chan’s Food Center. While working at Chan’s, Vincent Chan introduced him to commercial window art painting.

With the skills he learned through early life, he jumped into food manufacturing. In 1980, he moved to Texas to work in his uncle Marcos’ Mexico Bakery in Kingsville, Texas and Old Mexico Bakery in Austin, Texas. He later started his own business, Los Hermanos Tortillas, in San Angelo, Texas with his brothers John, Julian, and Manuel.

In the mid-80s, he returned to California to work for La Mejor in Farmersville and soon after opened his own company La Buena Tortillas in Visalia. He returned to Texas in the early 90s. Throughout the year, every year, he would make numerous visits to California to visit family and friends.

It was commercial art and food distribution that would be his lifelong consistent work between his various business ventures.

His most recent business venture included publishing “West Texas Football,” a San Angelo-based magazine, in the West Texas region famously known for its Friday Night Lights high school football.

Raymond will be remembered for his influence on the family’s commercial art businesses and entrepreneurial spirit. Every Christmas season, immediate family members, nephews and nieces independently paint holiday art on store windows and for other holidays throughout the year. Three family advertising businesses have been established because of Raymond’s influence.

He attended Tulare and Farmersville elementary schools, Kaweah and Exeter high schools and the College of the Sequoias.

Public visitation hours will be from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. with a rosary performed at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 5 at the Miller Memorial Chapel, 1120 West Goshen Avenue in Visalia. Mass will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 6 at St. Anthony’s Retreat, 43816 Sierra Drive in Three Rivers. Following mass, the graveside service will be held at the Three Rivers Cemetery. A Celebration of Life reception will be held back at St. Anthony’s Retreat after the graveside service.

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