Mr. Ramon Gracia Galindo

Ramon Gracia Galindo, 99 years old, passed away peacefully in his sleep on July 2, 2020, at his home in Austin, Texas where he resided for 68 years with his wife, Pauline Santos Galindo, until her death in 2014.

Ramon was born in San Juan, Mexico on May 29, 1921, to parents Tomas & Josefa Galindo & he was the fourth of six children. His family moved to Austin in 1922 and in later years they became successful in opening their business “El Fenix Tortillas” which made tortilla chips and tortillas.

As a teenager, Ramon learned to sew and alter his shirts to fit better. Thus, his love for tailoring clothes began. He studied everything possible about the trade of tailoring clothes. He read books, learned to draft patterns and became a Master Tailor in his own right. For 17 years, he was the lead tailor at Merritt Schaefer & Brown. He then opened Ace Custom Tailors in downtown Austin and during his career had the prestigious opportunity to tailor clothes for people such as: Senator Lyndon B. Johnson, Governor John Connally, Stevie Ray Vaughn & Jimmy Vaughn, and Bob Bullock to name a few. In addition, he created special jackets with hidden pockets for magicians all over the world.

Ramon’s 75 year interest in magic began as a child when his father played a trick on his mother which he found fascinating. He was awed that his mother believed the illusion she had seen. His mentor was the great Herman Yerger, a druggist in Austin who was the founder of the Texas Association of Magicians. Ramon’s magic performances included producing cards, coins, thimbles, linking rings, doves, parakeets and a Chinese Golden Pheasant. He & his wife traveled to six continents to attend magic conventions where he stunned audiences with his well-known parakeet tricks.

Ramon, who wore a tuxedo in his early years as a magician decided to make his own mariachi costume after Siegfried, of Siegfried & Roy, suggested that he should honor his heritage and wear a mariachi outfit on stage. The suggestion intrigued him and after drawing, planning and designing several patterns for over a year, he used his master tailoring skills to create two beautiful costumes.

Ramon was also a historian and a videographer. He documented many changes that happened over time in downtown Austin. He enjoyed interviewing people to better understand their part in history. He has a collection of over 60 years of film, VHS, and DVD’s showcasing magic conventions that he attended. He enjoyed preserving the art of videography.

Ramon was a proud veteran of WWII and served in Europe from 1944 to 1945. The two biggest battles he took part in were the Battle of the Bulge, from December of 1944 to January of 1945, and the Rhine River Battle, in March of 1945. He described the Rhine River as the "worst" battle of the two. He had many army buddies from his battalion with whom he kept in contact over the years.

With the passing of Ramon, only his good friend from the 571st Battalion Battery A, Frank Bydlowski of Dearborne, MI remains alive. Recently Frank called Ramon to wish him a “Happy 99th Birthday”. What a true and long-lasting friendship. Brotherhood and friendships were one of the best attributes of the Greatest Generation!

Ramon was a longtime contributor to the “Voces Oral History Project” through Professor Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez at UT. When Ramon showed up at the first meeting with his documented VHS tape of himself and his two brothers, Joe & Tom talking about their time in WWII it was excitedly received by the Voces Project. Over the years Ramon has been interviewed countless times by UT Students in the program.

Ramon is survived by his daughter, Josie Galindo Caballero (Jim) his brother, Tom Galindo (Ernestine) his grandchildren, Jason Caballero (Jennifer Timberlake), Julie Galindo Tolleson (Blake) & Jennifer Belcik (Matt) and his great grandchildren, Taylor Tolleson, Avery Harmer (Brad), Nolan & Rhys Belcik.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to one of Ramon’s two favorite organizations:

VOCES Oral History Project, the Moody College of Communications, at The University of Texas. www.voces.lib.utexas.edu/donate

Fantastic Magic Camp, 12316 Indian Mound, Austin, TX 78758 www.magiccamp.com

To view the funeral service in it's entirety, log on to https://vimeo.com/435347292.