Guadalupe Rendon Jr., 93, of Victoria, passed away at home on October 28, 2022. Lupe was born in Victoria to Irene and Guadalupe Rendon Sr. Lupe, the beloved patriarch of the Rendon family, attended Patti Welder High School, played running back & quarterback for the District Champion Fighting Stingarees and then enlisted in the US Air Force as a Control Tower Operator in the Korean War. Upon his return to the states, he married the love of his life Mary Elizabeth Elizondo "The prettiest girl in town" and started a family. He was the proud owner of Security Loan Company since 1962 and prided himself in his service to his community.
"Tata" will be remembered for his beautiful smile, funny quick wit, love of dancing, pride in his family, singing to his family and all the little ones, unwavering work ethic, love of baseball, dedication to his dogs Chela and Boy, and a selfless example of "Love your family with all your heart".
He was proud to be known as Coach Rendon to the hundreds of kids he coached and mentored. He was the volunteer multi-sport coach at Our Lady of Victory School for 9 years. He will forever be regarded as the master of coaching baseball. When it came to hitting technique, pitching and baseball strategy he had no peer. In 1972, his team won Texas State Champion runner-up, and in 1982 everything he learned from his decades of coaching culminated with a Texas State title and a 20-2 win in the championship game.
Air Force Sargent Rendon is a decorated American hero. As the lone control tower operator at his base in Korea, he was solely responsible for facilitating the emergency landing of 94 aircraft on a single runway, 31% were low on fuel, and he had no instrumentation other than his headset and microphone. He landed all aircraft safely in 42 minutes, averaging a landing every 30 seconds. The Air Force awarded him the prestigious Distinguished Service Medal, generally awarded only to officers holding the rank of Major General, including Chuck Yeager and Buzz Aldrin.
The legacy Tata will leave his family are his grand gestures of love: singing birthday videos, words of encouragement, birthday cards, sharing home remedies for whatever ails you, sound advice, and his funny sweet texts which would always bring smiles to our faces.
Lupe is survived by his daughter, Libby Carbajal (Jasper) of Goliad, Texas; sons, John Rendon (Debbie) of San Angelo, Texas and Lupe Rendon III of Victoria; sister, Irene Garcia of Victoria, Texas; brother, Dan Rendon of Florida and Bobby Rendon of Victoria; 6 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; and 2 great-great-grandchildren.
He is preceded in death by his wife, Mary Elizabeth Elizondo Rendon; and two children, Martha Della Rendon and Peter Wayne Rendon.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, November 10, 2022 from 5-7pm, with rosary beginning at 7pm at Rosewood Funeral Chapel. Funeral mass will be held on Friday, November 11, 2022 at 2pm at The Cathedral of Our Lady of Victory, with burial following at Resurrection Cemetery.
