Guillermo Francisco Letemendia

From his beginnings in Buenos Aires, growing up in the same neighborhood as the Pope, it was clear Guillermo Letemendia was destined for greatness. His summers swept him away to the beautiful Mar de Plata for yearly family vacations. He met the love of his life, Marta Brown, at 29 years old. He was so sure she was the one that he not only married her only 2 months after meeting, but introduced her to his entire family on the very first date (no pressure).

From Buenos Aires he made his way north to the United States in the mid 1950's. Later in the late 1960's his work then took him to Mexico City where he headed an empire of bookstores named El Ateneo that spread across South and Central America while he and his wife raised a rambunctious family of 3 kids. His story continued back into North America, with stops in La Jolla and Houston, finally settling in San Antonio, collecting properties and land in each city along the way.

Tata, as he is known by his grandchildren, began his career as an artist early in life, honing his skills further in his advanced years. His art was textured, full of life, experimental, whimsical. It is the kind of art anyone can look into and undoubtedly see themselves on the canvas. His sculptures, often built from natural elements and household objects, turned the ordinary into the extraordinary. His art is not only thought-provoking, but also a hilarious punchline at the end of a well-timed joke. Tata’s art is influenced by his love of cars, Argentinian culture, and his family.

A man of few words but many brushstrokes, his humor came through in two ways: first, in some of the best one liners you’ve ever heard, in a quiet voice, in Spanish - and, second, in his art. Like his sculpture, titled “The Birth of the Cotton Swab,” or when explaining why he scaled down his luxurious lifestyle when he had kids, telling them “you all wanted to eat so I had to sell the Mercedes. You ate my mercedes.” Or, when he replied to his son, Fernando who told him that cheap wine was going to kill him and he replied with a simple, “when?”

Tata passed on Monday, November 30, 2020 from complications in the hospital after suffering a fall in his home. He is survived by his equally hilarious and strong wife of 60 years, Marta, and their three children, Mariana, Victoria, and Fernando. He is also survived by his grandchildren and close friends.

He will be remembered as a true businessman, avid shopper of property, lover of asado, incredible experimental abstract artist with over 100 pieces in his collection, and as a fierce friend and fiercer family member.