Jaime Rapaport

Born in the Bolivian rainforest to a beautiful local woman, Blanca, and Isaac, a Polish immigrant escaping the Holocaust, Jaime—along with his older brother, Carlos, and younger sister, Raquel—accumulated an amazing lifetime of stories to tell. And tell them he did. Never shy about embellishing a bit, he shared his tales as though each were worthy of its own novel. If it wasn’t a story, it was a (mostly corny) joke. He seemed to have a joke for every moment and occasion.

From Bolivia, he moved to New York to study electronics, working at a zipper factory and a grocery store. After a few years, he headed to Brownsville, Texas, to work for a family friend in the textile business. During a visit to Laredo, he saw how business was booming and convinced his boss to open a store there. Not long after, he purchased the store himself, marking the beginning of Rapatex—a family success story. Starting in textiles, he soon transitioned into electronics.

In 1975, he married Ana Zylbersztajn, a fellow Cochabambina whom he had known since childhood through the Jewish community, but fell in love with after being set up by his sister, Raquel, at her own wedding. They quickly joined forces in business, with Ana managing the new fragrance division of the store—ensuring they would spend nearly every minute of their lives together. Their marriage was blessed with the birth of Alex two years later, followed by Danny two years after that. Six years later, Leah was born, completing their family.

As a family of five, Jaime and Ana traveled the world with their children, along with countless road trips across the country. Jaime was eager to give his children the same experiences and memories he cherished from his own youth.

As if running a business with Ana and raising a family weren’t enough, Jaime was also a prolific woodworker who created many beautiful pieces found in the homes of friends and family. He was the prototypical handyman—if a tool didn’t exist to fix something, he would create it. Anyone who knew him could picture him in his garage, dressed in faded jeans and a white T-shirt, a pencil resting behind his ear. If you were lucky, you might catch him tinkering with one of his latest inventions on the side.

Jaime instilled his incredible work ethic in his children, often expressing disbelief if anyone said they were bored. “How can you be bored when there is so much you can do?!” he would say. He always reminded his children that they could become anything they wanted—as long as they strived to be the best at it.

As Alex, Danny, and Leah grew, so did the family. Jaime became a grandfather with the birth of Leah’s son, Jackson, and later Alex and Camille’s son, Kai. He thoroughly enjoyed having his grandchildren around and felt his life was full.

Until the very end, Jaime’s jokes and stories continued to flow—and they will continue to be told long after we say goodbye.

Jaime passed away quietly in his sleep on February 13 at the age of 81. He is survived by his wife, Ana; his son Alex and daughter-in-law Camille; his son Danny; his daughter Leah and her partner Jake; his grandchildren, Jackson and Kai; his brother Carlos; his sister Raquel and her husband Lenny; and many nieces, nephews, and their children.

His memorial at Sparkman Hillcrest Funeral Home in Dallas was attended by many family members, friends, and loved ones who came from near and far. Until the end, he was surrounded by those he loved.

If you would like to make a donation in his honor please consider ALK Positive (https://alkpositive.org/ways-to-give/).