Jose Antonio Rodriguez

The second oldest of seven siblings, Jose Antonio Rodriguez was born on October 30, 1954, in Vista Hermosa de Negrete, a small town in central Mexico, before moving with his family to California in 1968.

From an early age, Jose Antonio worked hard to help provide for his family. In Mexico, as a young boy, he woke up before 6am to sell “gelatinas,” and beginning at the age of 13 in California, he picked tomatoes in tough conditions in the fields outside of Davis. Hard work was ingrained in who he and his family were. They relished the opportunities their new home afforded them, and they labored tirelessly to make a better life for themselves and the generations to come.

After learning English and excelling in school, Jose Antonio went on to Sacramento State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and met the love of his life, Elena Forero. While dating in college, the two lovebirds were big dancers (which they would remain for the next 45 years) and enjoyed spending time with their big group of friends and family. Jose Antonio also loved playing tennis, soccer, table tennis, and other recreational sports, later becoming an avid runner and introducing his sons to the game of golf.

Jose Antonio and Elena were married on December 22, 1979 in Elena’s hometown of Bogota, Colombia and had an additional wedding celebration with friends and family in Sacramento. Jose Antonio began his career in Silicon Valley and soon the couple welcomed their first of three sons, Daniel, who was born in Mountain View, California.

In 1983, Jose Antonio and Elena moved their growing family to Houston, where Elena’s family had recently moved from California. Over the next several years, the couple welcomed their two other sons, Marco and Nicholas.

Following the move to Houston, Jose Antonio advanced his career in computer electronics and, later, personal handheld devices at Compaq and Hewlett-Packard for 20+ years, beginning with hardware engineering, expanding into PDA design and commercialization, and eventually overseeing international procurement and supply chain management. After leaving HP, Jose Antonio dove into real estate investment and finished his career back in the tech industry, working for a Brazil-based cybersecurity company.

His family and friends knew him as an endlessly generous, selfless, and loving person who was blessed with the ability and engineer’s mind to be able to fix, design, and solve anything (and seemingly do everything). He always enjoyed that gift and all of the ways he could apply it, but his true passions were his faith and his family.

A man of intense and steadfast faith, Jose Antonio spent his entire life devoted to God and the Catholic Church, which opened his heart and soul to the most meaningful element of his life: his relationship with our Lord. Through devotion to prayer, Eucharistic Adoration, parish ministry, the Knights of Columbus, the sacred mass, and volunteering numerous ways at various parishes, he developed and strengthened his unwavering belief in the Lord and the eternal life He promised us.

Jose Antonio’s other passion was his family. His love for Elena shaped his life, his love for his sons defined him, his love for his daughters-in-law opened his heart in new ways, his love for his broader family and friends enabled his selflessness, and his love for his grandchildren gave him indescribable joy.

His wife and sons, along with their wives (Kristin, Kristin, and Leanne) celebrate his life today with his grandchildren (Hailey, Julia, Anthony, Elena, Catherine, Bernadette, Erica, Benjamin, and Francis), siblings (Rosalinda, Irma, Gregorio, Maria, Ignacio, and Juan Carlos), and his many beloved nieces, nephews, and other relatives. He is preceded into everlasting life by his parents Gregorio Rodriguez and Silvestra Rodriguez.

A visitation service for Jose Antonio will be held on Thursday, March 13, 2025, from 5pm-8pm (with a rosary at 7pm) at Brookside Funeral Home-Cypress Creek, 9149 Hwy 6 N, Houston, TX 77095. A funeral Mass for Jose Antonio will be held on Friday, March 14, 2025, at 10:30am at Regina Caeli Parish, 8121 Breen Road, Houston, TX 77064.