Joseph Gonzales Madrid, of Plano, Texas passed away on Saturday, June 9, 2018. Joseph was 94 years old and died after an evening surrounded by loving family which included some of his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Joseph was born May 22, 1924 in Tucumcari, New Mexico to Dionicio L Madrid and Paulita Gonzales Madrid and was the eldest of four siblings. He was known as a people person, soft spoken, and a peacemaker. Throughout his life, he mingled well and never met a stranger. As a child he was nicknamed Pepe but eventually outgrew that nickname to be referred to as Joe, and later, affectionately referred to as Grampo by his grandkids and great-grandkids. During his senior year of high school, Joe was drafted to the United States Army Air Corps for WWII. He earned the equivalency of his high school diploma while serving his country and later attended Highlands University in Las Vegas, Nevada. As an adult, he spent his career working for the Corps of Engineers at White Sands Proving Ground, later known as White Sands Missile Range.
Joe married his childhood nemesis, turned life-long best friend, Esther Meraz, on April 27, 1945, in Tucumcari, New Mexico. They were married sixty-five amazing years only to be separated by Esther's passing in 2010. The couple had three beautiful children; Gloria, Willie and Ruben. They raised their little family in El Paso, Texas, and Chaparral, New Mexico. Their family brought them much happiness, but the best joy was the addition of six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Joe was Roman Catholic and attended St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Plano, Texas. Before moving to Plano, he helped build St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Chaparral, New Mexico, where he and Esther sang in the choir for over twenty years. While living in El Paso, he was an active member of VFW Post 8919 and served as District Commander. He also served as a member of VFW Post 4380 in Plano, Texas.
One of Joe's fondest memories was the month he spent traveling through Europe with his sister, Patricia, and both of their families. The main mission of the trip was taking his young sons to the Vatican.
Joe will be fondly remembered as a patriotic man, always willing to help those in need without expecting anything in return, and always present in the lives of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was passionate about playing guitar and singing in the church choir. He was always active and loved working on projects building "stuff" outside. He also loved spending time with family and friends and enjoyed time spent socializing and dancing at the Plano Senior Center. If he was ever still for a moment, you would find him watching westerns like Bonanza, Gunsmoke or his other favorite show, Hee-Haw.
Joseph was preceded in death by his wife Esther Madrid, mother Paulita Madrid, father Dionicio Madrid, brother George Madrid, sister Lucia Gonzales, and son-in-law Robert Bazan.
Joseph is survived by his children Gloria Bazan of Plano, Willie Madrid of Chaparral, and Ruben Madrid of Plano; grandchildren Ester Maria Tavarez (Mike) of Plano, Rafael Tavarez (Beatriz) of McKinney, Esperanza Tavarez (Jorge) of Keller, Rhian Madrid (Shey) of Phoenix, Alyssa Madrid and Brianna Madrid, both of Chaparral; great-grandchildren Aaron Tavarez, Adam Matthews, Miguel Alvarez and Lilly Tavarez; sister Patricia Martinez, many nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family and friends.
Sunday June 17, 2018
Visitation: 6:00 - 9:00PM
Rosary: 7:00 - 7:30PM
Ted Dickey West Funeral Home
8011 Frankford Road
Dallas, Texas 75252
Monday June 18, 2018
Visitation: 9:00 - 10:30AM
Funeral Mass: 10:30AM
St Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church
2700 West Spring Creek Parkway
Plano, Texas 75075
Burial: 2:30PM
Dallas Fort Worth National Cemetery
2000 Mountain Creek Parkway
Dallas, Texas 75211
Serving as Pallbearers are Patricia Martinez, Ruben Madrid, Rafael Tavarez, Rhian Madrid, Aaron Tavarez and Adam Matthews
Serving as Honorary Pallbearers are Willie Madrid, Mike Alvarez, Jorge Lopez, and Miguel Alvarez
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.teddickeywestfuneral.com for the Madrid family.
