Isidro "Sid" Trevino

All services for Sid will be held at Ellis Resthaven Funeral Home and Memorial Park, 4616 N. Big Spring Street, Midland, Texas 79705. A public visitation and rosary will be held Friday, December 29, 2023, from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM, with the rosary beginning at 7:00 PM. A funeral service will occur Saturday, December 30, 2023, at 2:00 PM followed by his burial at 3:00 PM.

Sid was survived by sisters, children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and so many friends near and far. Anyone who knew Sid, knew that he did things his way. So, in true Sid fashion, please find below his biography that he updated over the years that truly depicts the life he led. The family requests that in lieu of flowers or gifts, contributions in Sid’s memory may be made to Basin PBS by clicking here https://bit.ly/3tkPLya or calling Basin PBS at 432-563-5728.

Biography and Obituary of and by ISIDRO (SID) TREVINO

The Farm Years (1929-1945) - Born on January 27, 1929, in a small South Texas community of Rio Hondo (Population: 300), I was the only boy in a family of nine children. At an early age, I was handed the outside chores and responsibilities that encompassed any farm. I learned quickly and did my part, from milking the cows, feeding the hogs to chasing the goats and so forth. Growing up, I cannot remember ever ‘liking' school. In fact, I recall very clearly that I hated school. So, I made the decision to drop out of high school and serve my country.

The Road to Manhood (1946-1949) - At the early age of 17, I joined what was then, The United States Army Air Corps. For a country boy, this was a chance to experience life at its fullest (little did I know.) After being stationed in Germany, my three years were up, and it was time for me to make another important decision in my life. In those three years I found out that an education was one of the most important things a person could possess. Since I was of the minority race, I knew it would be difficult to amount to anything without an education.

Through hard work and lots of night classes, I was able to complete my three years of high school in just one year, where I then received my diploma from Brownsville High School. Under the U.S. GI Bill, I continued my education for two years at Southmost Junior College in Brownsville Texas. Afterwards I attended Texas Agriculture and Mechanical System University (Texas A&M) where I majored in Languages and minored in History.

Off to Work (1950-1965) - My first job out of college was teaching secondary education in Premont Texas for $200 a month. I was in this position for a year when I was made an offer to become a police officer in Midland Texas for $285 a month. I was hired because of my military background, education, and ability to speak two languages. Back in the 50's, $285 was a lot of money for a poor countrified Mexican that was raised in the cotton fields. Not knowing where Midland was, I missed it by 20 miles, due to one of the biggest sandstorms I have ever seen in my life. After the dust settled down, I drove to Midland and went to work for the police department (22 Strong) as a patrolman. I was Midland's first Hispanic police officer. The city, county, and state law enforcement agencies in the Permian Basin did not have any black or Hispanic police officers. There was a lot of racial discrimination going on in Midland and it was difficult to gain the respect of my peers within the force. I recall seeing signs in public places that read, ''No Mexicans or Dogs Allowed."

In a period of 10 years, I was promoted from patrolman to detective lieutenant, detective captain, and then to the #2 spot, Assistant Police Chief. I received many accreditations and certificates of appreciation for the aid to law enforcement from: The City of Midland, Midland County, The State of Texas, and the U.S. Marshall's Service. In my younger days, I was involved with many civic community organizations, trying to keep young people out of the penitentiary. I contributed money and a lot of time in helping the Midland community raise over $62,000 to purchase bullet proof vests for Midland Police Officers. Remember the slogan, ''Invest in a vest . . . Save a Police Officer."

After serving my time with the Downtown Lions Club, the Kiwana’s Club, the Knights of Columbus, and several others, I made the decision to go into private business for myself.

The Entrepreneur (1966-1997) - After seeing many of the public restaurants being closed down due to unsanitary facilities, I decided to give the public a nice, enjoyable atmosphere where they could dine and dance. I opened the Club Granada's doors in January of 1966, as an exclusive private club for members only. In June of 1971, liquor by the drink was passed and I opened the doors to the public. We were approved by the City, County and State for our cafeteria style Bar-B-Que lunch, where we ran the people through the kitchen. Throughout my thirty-one and a half years at The Granada, I have always been proud to say that we had the cleanest kitchen in the Permian Basin. I also took pride in the reputation that built up our Bar-B-Que Catering Service. We were able to accommodate up to 2,000 people.

After 25 years of nightly Live Country & Western music, the community came into a new era. This new health conscious, senior citizen generation, which had gradually but most surely aged, began becoming aware of their eating and drinking habits. However, they were not able to handle the exercise of their old routines. On two occasions, patrons had heart attacks while dancing. It was then I decided to change the format of The Granada from Country & Western to Tejano music.

To Retire or Not to Retire (1998-2021) - At the age of almost 70, I decided it was time to hang my hat up and enjoy the good life that I always heard so much about. So one day, I finally made a deal with my good friend at the 2nd Baptist church to turn over the keys of The Granada. I saw my dreams of The Granada get turned into one of the nicest activity buildings any church in town could be proud of. After that, it wasn’t long before I found that the days turned into weeks, then months and before I knew it, I was wandering around town with not much to do. After a few fishing trips here and there, I finally decided that the potato couch life was not for me. Around March 2008, I ran into my old friend Claytie, who just so happened to be looking for a replacement for his Chief of Security at the Claydesta Plaza buildings. I jumped at the chance to work with my old amigo who use to patronize The Granada in the old days with an occasional performance of Rancho Grande on the bandstand.

From checking the parking lot for vehicle violations, making rounds, to being on call or investigating disturbances at 2am, most people in the building came to know I was always watching from somewhere keeping an eye on things. But after almost 13 years back at work and lots of foot, back, and heart surgeries, I decided it was time to once again hang up the old hat for the last time. So, at the age of 92 years young, I said adios to the Midland workforce that had been so good to me for many years.

If I can catch a few more fish before I kick the bucket, I’ll be ready to go see the good ol Lord and say that “I did it my way.”

Via con Dios mis amigos,

Sid

(The Original)