Robert S. Perales

Robert S. Perales, passed away on January 28, 2021, in Miami, Florida, after a happy and love-filled life that took him from his hometown San Antonio, TX to Chicago, IL where he met his beloved wife Anamaria of Ecuador and raised their four devoted children and grandson; Robert Jr., Eric, Kenneth, Marla and Robert III then to Miami where he enjoyed a well-deserved retirement after a lifetime of hard work. He and Anamaria travelled the world, always ready for their next adventure, which was supposed to be Holy land this April 2021.

From a young age he was blessed with the ability to make people laugh and find the best in every circumstance. He was the youngest child of Juan Perales of Brownsville, TX and Concepcion Saldivar of Monterrey, MX. He is preceded in death by his parents; his brothers Ernest and Alfonso; his sister Aurora Miles Harris; his infant siblings Consuelo, Aurora I, and Alfredo; and his half-brothers Juan and Roberto Perales. He is survived by Anamaria; his four children; his son-in-law Richard; his grandchildren Robert, Viviana, and Gabriel; his brother John Perales and sister Lydia Rodriguez; and many sobrinos y primos who loved him dearly.

As a very young boy he became something of a celebrity in his San Antonio Westside neighborhood when he won a white horse in a downtown raffle and rode it home surrounded by a procession of well-wishers. He watched his older brothers and many of the young men in his neighborhood go off to fight in WWII and come back to a San Antonio struggling with economic challenges in face of the post-war demobilization. His army-trained brothers taught him how to fight and included unusual training bouts such as tossing him in the San Antonio river at Brackenridge park. His natural athleticism and his early training led him to quarterback his high school football team to a city championship and paved the way for a series of successful Golden Glove boxing matches that saw him beat all challengers until his father needed him to work in his construction business. He followed his brothers into military service but was spared the horrors they faced, once again proving that Lady Luck was always smiling on him. He followed them again to Chicago looking for work like so many Hispanic men of his generation. With his work ethic, construction skills, and good-natured personality he got settled into building a life in Chicago. His mother sent him instructions to represent the family and go to a wedding of a paternal cousin he had never met. Not really wanting to go somewhere where he knew nobody, he nevertheless obeyed. There he met his cousin, Al Esquitin, who welcomed him with open arms at his wedding and the two became life-long friends. He learned quickly never to turn down an invitation to a party. In 1971 he met Anamaria and the two began a party that would last a lifetime, bringing joy and laughter to all who were lucky enough to cross their path. He loved to visit his sisters in California and Texas and meet them in San Antonio for annual celebrations of his brothers’ November birthdays around Veteran’s Day or in April during Fiesta Week. He loved the traditional breakfast get-togethers at Panchitos on the Southside, lunches at Mi Tierra in the Mercado, and dinner at El Rio on the Riverwalk. He was also always excited to see his old Westside friends, especially Gilbert and Lupe Nieto, and his High School best friend Efrain Medina during these trips home. In Chicago, he bought a big house in Cicero and created a loving, multi-generational, extended family with his in-laws where he was always outnumbered and outsmarted by his beloved South Americans. He was a simple man with the biggest heart. His favorite things to do were fishing and boxing. His proudest accomplishment was his family but his days as a star athlete weren’t too bad either. He had a loved so pure and honorable for his family and loved showing all kids how to make paper sailboats. He was truly a kid at heart. He most certainly was a contender. He will be dearly missed.