He was preceded in death by his loving wife of 52 years Donna Sanfilippo and brothers Tony, Charlie, Dan, Joseph, and Tom Sanfilippo. He is survived by his three loving children; Tony Sanfilippo Sr. of Spring, Texas, Nathan Sanfilippo of Corpus Christi, Texas and daughter Katherine Fitzgerald of Corpus Christi, Texas. He is also survived by his brother Sam Sanfilippo of Santa Rosa, Texas and sisters Vida Thebeau of Corpus Christi, Jetta Mazzu of Rosenberg, Texas and Maryann Zupolski of McAllen, Texas. He was blessed with two grandchildren; Brandon Farrer of Corpus Christi, Texas and Tony Sanfilippo Jr. of Spring, Texas.
Jakie was born, the last of 10 children, on September 4, 1932 in Santa Rosa, Texas to the parents of Pasquale and Kathrina Sanfilippo who had immigrated to South Texas from the Sicilian town of Cefalu, Italy.
His adolescent and teen years were spent on a farm in Santa Rosa, TX where he graduated from Santa Rosa High School in 1950. He subsequently attended one year of college at Pan American University in Edinburg, TX.
He left the university after he was selected for an apprenticeship position at Kelly Air Force base as an Aircraft Engine Mechanic. After one year of apprenticeship training, he joined the United States Navy and attended boot camp in San Diego, California in 1953. He was assigned to the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Monterrey (CVL-26) where he served as a Radioman and attained the rank of Radioman 3rd class. Following the decommissioning of the Monterrey in 1953, he received orders and was stationed at the Naval Air Station in Fallon, Nevada where he met and married the love of his life Donna Rae Gibbs. He was honorably discharged in January 1957 having obtained the rank of Radioman 2nd class.
Jakie and his bride moved to San Antonio, Texas where he resumed and completed his apprenticeship training as an Aircraft Engine Mechanic at Kelly Air Force Base. He was assigned to the aircraft engine test cells where he was responsible for testing the performance of piston and turbine engines used in a variety of military aircraft. During this period, he was blessed with the birth of his two sons, Tony and Nathan.
In 1963, he applied and was selected for a job position with the U.S. Army helicopter repair facility (known as ARADMAC) in Corpus Christi, TX. In November of that year, his dream came true when “Daddy’s Little Girl” Katherine Lorraine was born. During his 25 year career at the Army depot, he received multiple promotions. These included Quality Control Inspector, Quality Control Branch Chief, and Quality Control Division Chief. In 1988, at the age of 55, and after 36 years of government service to the Air Force, Navy, and Army, he retired as the Quality Assurance Manager.
Never one to stay idle, in 1991, he took a position with Parkway Presbyterian Church as their grounds keeper and maintenance man. He continued working for the church for the next nine years with the exception of a six month period spent recovering from heart surgery. For personal and health reasons he resigned from his position in October of 2000.
Throughout his life, he was gifted with a keen mechanical sense and loved the challenge of receiving something broken and making it whole again. This made him the “go to “ guy for family and friends when they needed something repaired. He was known for and took great pride in the quality of his work. He was known for doing more than just “fixing it”.
Growing up on a farm in the Rio Grande Valley instilled in him a lifelong love for growing things. He was known for having a “green thumb” and always had a vegetable garden. He took great pride in his ability to “graft” fruit trees and his pride and joy was a citrus tree that yielded oranges, tangerines, and Valley lemons. His backyard always yielded a bountiful harvest which he joyfully shared with family and friends.
Jakie was a devoted husband, a loving father, grandfather, and proud American who served his country for 36 years. He was a gentle and giving man who never said “no” to anyone. Who he was will forever be enshrined in the hearts, minds and souls of the many people he touched. He will be greatly missed by those he has left behind.
Visitation will be held Wednesday, October 16th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at Memory Gardens Funeral Home, 8200 Old Brownsville Road in Corpus Christi, Texas. Funeral Services and entombment are to be held at Memory Gardens funeral chapel on Thursday, October 17th at 1:00pm.
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