Rodolfo Santiago Lopez

Rodolfo Santiago López was born April 13, 1940, to Santiago and Evangelina Valdez López in San Antonio, TX. “Rudy” spent his youth with his older sister, Olga, spending time at his family’s ranch, south of San Antonio, and the bustling high rises of Golden Age Mexico City. He attended Central Catholic High School but would enlist in the U.S. Air Force before completing his senior year of high school. On the advice of one of his friends, he requested to be stationed in Japan, the first of many trips overseas he would take. Never one to shy away from his Chicano heritage, he would host gatherings in his barracks for fellow Hispanic servicemen stationed at his base, where he met many of his lifelong friends.

He returned to San Antonio where he met the love of his life, Elvira Saldaña, in 1964; they would be married for nearly 59 years and raise two daughters, Monica and Leticia.

In the late 1960s, he was redeployed during the Vietnam War, serving as a loadmaster, before returning to San Antonio and pursuing a degree from Our Lady of The Lake University and a law degree from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University in Houston. He worked as a civil servant at Kelly Air Force Base until his retirement.

Later in life, he discovered his true passion for teaching, first as an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher and then as Bajo Sexto instructor. In 1997, with the support of Teatro de Artes de Juan Seguin, he started a Conjunto music program for the Seguin Independent School District. In 2002, he would go on to cofound, along with Carol Rodríguez, the Conjunto Heritage Taller in San Antonio. The non-profit organization’s goal is to preserve Conjunto music for future generations by providing accordion and bajo sexto lessons to anyone who sought instruction.

Rodolfo was a distinguished bajista and vocalist, who enjoyed accompanying his students as much as he enjoyed playing on stage. In 2000, he and his original student, Robert Casillas, recorded the album Dos Generaciones Does Conjunto Tradiciónes, a full-length record of Conjunto standards (not bad for someone who started playing at 50).

Rodolfo enjoyed raising horses on his ranch, Rancho Rosál, and traveling the world with his wife. He was known for his green thumb, often gifting the wide variety of flowers and plants he grew to his closest friends. He enjoyed music of all varieties, with some of his favorite artists being Willie Nelson, Chuck Mangione, and Carol King to name a few. You could find him most mornings discussing current events with his friends at Taco Haven in Southtown, where everyone knew his order (a huevos al la Mexicana taco on a tortilla buen tostadita).

He was known for the annual Easter Bash he hosted for 30 years at his ranch that grew from a family gathering into a much anticipated celebration, attended by friends, musicians, politicians, artists, and grill masters. He was a proud San Antonian, who realized his dream of living in downtown San Antonio, in a house that he designed himself. He was known for his quick wit, humor, generosity, and warm personality. He was a composer, a writer, a poet, a community leader, a political and social activist, and most of all a proud husband, father, and grandfather.

Rodolfo died from complications brought on by a long, hard-fought battle with Mesothelioma, on September 23, 2023, at the age of 83. He was surrounded by those who loved him.

Rodolfo is survived by his wife Elvira, his daughters, Monica L. (George) Krist, Leticia L. (John) Spicer; grandsons, Andrew “Cash” Spicer, Matthew “Wyatt” Spicer; granddaughter, Eva Giselle “GiGi” Spicer; his sister Olga Favela; two beloved dogs, Diego and Cassius, and four horses. He will be missed by numerous nephews, nieces, cousins, cuñadas, comadres y compadres.

If you wish, donations may be made to the Conjunto Heritage Taller in honor of Rodolfo S. López.

ROSARYOCTOBER 2, 20237:00 P.M.PORTER LORING MORTUARY1101 McCULLOUGH AVE

PROCESSIONOCTOBER 3, 20238:00 A.M.PORTER LORING MORTUARY1101 McCULLOUGH AVE

MASSOCTOBER 3, 20238:30 A.M.ST. JOSEPH’S CATHOLIC CHURCH623 EAST COMMERCE STREET

Due to the church for the mass being located downtown, friends are welcome to be a part of the procession on October 3, 2023, leaving at 8:00 A.M. from Porter Loring Mortuaries Downtown to St. Joseph’s Catholic Church.

Deacon Ross Cantu will officiate. Interment with Full Military Honors will follow at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Andrew Cash Spicer, Matthew Wyatt Spicer, Ernest Leonard Favela, Daniel de León, Jack Harmon, and Carlos Villarreal.