Alfonso Lopez

Alfonso Lopez born on August 1, 1920 in Alba, TX was called to be with the Lord on September 17, 2014 at the age of 94. He is preceded in death by his parents Espiridion and Antonia Lopez and sister Tomasa Lopez. Mr. Lopez is survived by his wife of 65 years, Josefina Espinoza Lopez, and children Maria Antonia Saenz, Josephine Teresa Ramirez(Ricardo), Fernando Alfonso Lopez (Sally), Juan Ricardo Lopez, Susan Dolores Lopez (Tony), and Sara Alicia Galindo (Marcus) and brother Pedro Lopez (Juanita); 15 grandchildren and 15 great- grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.

Alfonso Lopez grew up in Laredo, TX after spending his first 4 years in Alba, TX. He went to school there and graduated from Martin High School in 1941. Mr. Lopez was a senior at Martin HS while his would be spouse Josefina Espinoza was a freshman there, but their paths did not cross until after Josefina graduated in 1944. Alfonso, along with his friends would go down to the Jarvis Plaza, where they would meet up with Josefina, her sister, Melida and others. They would “window shop”, go to the movies or have an ice cream floats. We call it “hanging out” these days. It was Josefina who made the first move and asked Alfonso to attend a dance at San Augustine. From that point on, the relationship started…they married on June 4, 1949.

Mr. Lopez was a devout member of St. Stephen’s Catholic Church where he served as a lector, Eucharistic minister, and a member of the Holy Name Society, Men's Club, Spanish Choir and the Guadalupana Society. He was also active with the Cub and Boy Scout Troops at the parish. He proudly served our nation in World War II and the Korean War and was a lifetime member of the VFW Post # 9186. He retired from Civil Service after a 32 year career at Fort Sam Houston where he worked as a Radio Operator. As a young man, Alfonso Lopez was working in the Rio Grande Valley area when he was recruited to join the Navy. After basic training, he was sent to North Dakota where he was trained to work with Morse code and decoding. He was assigned to the USS Richmond. While on the USS Richmond he was sent to the Aleutian Islands during World War II. He was also in the North Pacific for two years (1943-1945). After being honorably discharged from the Navy, he continued to serve in the Reserves. In 1950, his Reserve unit was recalled to active duty because the Korean War had broken out. He was stationed at Fort Ward (Bainbridge) in Seattle, Washington. He served there from 1950-1952.

Visitation will be held from 1pm to 3pm Tuesday, September 23, 2014 at Trevino Funeral Home, 226 Cupples Rd. Visitation will continue at 5pm, Tuesday at St. Stephen’s Catholic Church, 2127 S. Zarzamora St., followed by a rosary at 7pm. A Mass of Resurrection will be celebrated at 11am Wednesday, September 24, 2014 at St. Stephen's Catholic Church. Interment will follow at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to St. Stephen's Catholic Church.