Guadalupe M. "Wally" Rodriguez

Guadalupe M. 'Wally' Rodriguez was reunited with the Lord on January 17, 2014 surrounded by his loving family. He was born in Concepcion, Texas on November 22, 1925 to Emiliano and Eluteria Rodriguez.

He was preceded in death by his loving wife, Delia Rodriguez; daughter, Delia Ana Rodriguez; his parents, brothers and sisters.

Wally leaves to cherish his memories his children, Linda (late Gerald) Saldaña; Tina (Michael) Pro; Guadalupe (Gloria) Rodriguez, Jr.; Homer (Guadalupe) Rodriguez; Jaime Rodriguez and Carlos Rodriguez. He also leaves behind 8 grandchildren, 6 great-grandchildren, numerous nieces, nephews and loving friend that will miss him dearly.

In his early life, Wally led his high school football team to State/Regional Championship with an undefeated record of 12-0. He also participated in basketball, track, and baseball. Wally Rodriguez Sr. was an all-around athlete growing up in Benavides. He was everybody's captain and excelled at every sport he tried. He stood 6 foot, 3 inches, and colleges were knocking down his door by graduation offering football scholarships, but a ruptured disc in his back kept him from those dreams. Instead of opting for the permanently retired bench, Rodriguez picked up a bat for an Army Team and later back home in South Texas for the Corpus Christi Aces. In 1946 Rodriguez was part of a post-war mission to show people of Germany pieces of the American culture. He was second leg of a track relay team that represented the United States in Berlin during the military version of the Olympics. He played baseball there as well. After he returned to South Texas, he was recruited to play for the Gulf Coast League's Aces. Faded newspaper clippings marked 1950 show he was a star with the power to draw in the masses. It was then that Rodriguez became 'Wallopin' Wally', the first man to hit a homer out of Schepps Palms (later known as Clipper Field and Giants Field). It was there that he developed his lifelong love of baseball. He missed his big chance at the majors after he had to turn down the St. Louisiana Cardinals because the Aces wouldn't let him out of his contract- further bittersweet validation that it was Wallopin' Wally who packed the stands. Rodriguez, now 80, played for a few years in the minors in Texas and Louisiana. He was one of the Hispanics in the league at the time. His team always treated him well, Rodriguez said, and his coach wouldn't give their business to anywhere he wasn't allowed. His wife also traveled with the team until they started their family. Rodriguez celebrated the birth of his first son, Wally Rodriguez Jr., by knocking one out of the park. But the realities of raising a family and the pay that came along with semi- professional ball meant Rodriguez had to quit before he ever set foot on a major league field. He tried his hand at his own business, worked for Reynolds Metals for a few years before his back gave him problems and then enjoyed a long career as a deputy with the Nueces County Sheriff's Department. Beyond helping his own children with their Little League dreams, Rodriguez never picked up a bat again. Rodriguez is a big supporter of South Texas baseball. He was one of many people who helped push the passage of the bond election for Whataburger field. He believes a quality ballpark and a good franchise will mean more local boys in the majors someday. It's something he hopes he'll get to see. Every week during the season he was in the stands. Sometimes he was the guy throwing out the first pitch. But always he was there to represent where baseball in Corpus Christi started and to celebrate how far it had come.'

The daughters would like to give a special thank you to his nephews and nieces, The Palms Nursing Home, Trisun Nursing Home for all of the care and support.

Visitation will be from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday, January 20, 2014 at Most Precious Blood Catholic Church with a rosary to be recited at 7:00 pm. The funeral Mass will be at 1 p.m. at Most Precious Blood Catholic Church with interment to follow at Memory Gardens Cemetery with full military honors. Please visit www.memorygardens.com to offer your condolences