Tino was devoted to his family, his faith, and his country. He was a competitive bowler and race car driver. He was a soldier, a cook, a singer, and a salesman. Tino was an orderly, a private duty nurse, and above all, he was a joker. Tino loved to laugh and he had a gift for making those around him laugh as well.
Tino was a hard worker all of his life. He began delivering newspapers at the age of 13 and he also worked for the Orea family business, Tex-Mex Curios. Tino attended Roy Miller High School and in 1959, he enlisted in the US Army. He served in the 17th Engineering Battalion, earning the designation sharpshooter while stationed in Germany. Tino was fluent in Spanish and English and if you weren’t from Germany, he was also fluent in German. He worked at Spohn Hospital for 30 years as an orderly. He loved taking care of his patients, brightening their day with jokes and laughter. He was proud of being recognized as Spohn Hospital's Employee Of The Year.
Tino was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Lydia Barajas Orea, his sons Eric Orea (Gillian) and Steven Orea (Glynis), his daughters Lisa Hancock (George), Ercilda Zuniga (Joe), and Deborah Rosetti. Tino was blessed with eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. A special thank you to his niece, Ms. San Juanita Flores, for the care and support she provided for the last 17 years. Thanks also to Angel Bright Hospice for providing excellent care during Tino’s last days.
Pallbearers: Grandsons Christopher Orea and Jimmy Christie, Great-Grandson Andrew Orea, Joe Zuniga, Valdemar Bazaldua Jr, and George Hancock.
