Manuel Fernando Aguilera

Manuel Fernando Aguilera, son of the late Manuel and Bertha Aguilera was born June 5, 1941 in El Paso, TX. He was a proud graduate of Cathedral H.S. and Texas Western College. Upon graduating from college, he served in the U.S. Army. After he honorably completed his military obligations, he accepted a position with Texas Department of Transportation where he rose through the ranks to ultimately serve as the Deputy Director of Engineering for the El Paso Sector.

He was instrumental in the designs of the ‘Spaghetti Bowl,’ the Patriot Freeway, and the new Tornillo Exchange, which bears his name, Aguilera International Highway, an honor bestowed upon him by his TxDOT family for his tireless commitment to the Department for over 37 years. Upon his retirement from TxDOT, he remained an active engineer by chartering his company Aguilera & Associates, where he worked on projects along the Texas/Mexico Border for the remainder of his career. For his long, storied, and successful career, UTEP bestowed upon Manuel the 2017 Gold Nugget Award for the College of Engineering.

Manny is survived by his wife of 48 years, Flor Llanes de Aguilera; daughter Flor Gabriela Rosales (Marc); son Manny Aguilera (Zulema); daughter Bambi Depew (Rick); sister Dina Corella; brothers Jaime and Renato Aguilera; 8 grandchildren: Alyssa, Lexi, Johnny, Andy, Michele, Kara, Ethan, and Hayley, and of course, the fur babies: Jacaranda, Sophia, Vader, and Leia.

Visitation will be Sunday, October 29, 2017 from 5:00 to 9:00pm with a vigil at 7:00pm at Martin Funeral Home Central. Graveside service will be Monday, October 30, 2017 at 9:00am at Ft. Bliss National Cemetery. Those wanting to follow the procession can meet at 8:15am at Martin Funeral Home Central.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the

College of Engineering.

Asset Management and Development

The University of Texas at El Paso

Kelly Hall 6th floor

500 West University Ave

El Paso, Texas 79968