MSG (Ret) US Army, John Soliz, age 89, went to be with the Lord on December 3, 2019 in San Antonio, Texas, surrounded by his loving family. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, & friend who will be dearly missed.
He was born in Personville, Texas on March 29, 1930 and his family moved to Leesville. He was the second youngest of nine siblings born to Severo and Maria Soliz.
At 18, John joined the army and was stationed in Japan before being transferred to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas where he met his wife, Gloria. Shortly after their engagement, John joined the prestigious 11th Airborne Division in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. On September 21st, 1952 John and Gloria were married and welcomed their first daughter Rosalind the following year.
The Soliz family then moved back to San Antonio and John was transferred to Korea in 1955 to serve as an army supply sergeant. Gloria gave birth to their second daughter Sonia shortly after. Once John returned, he pursued dental training in Colorado and became a laboratory technician. The family was then transferred to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and eventually stationed at the Presidio in San Francisco where they lived for nine years and where their third daughter Marina was born.
John also worked as a bartender and a hospital orderly to ensure his wife Gloria could focus on raising their children. In 1967, John was stationed in Germany and his family followed where they remained for 4 years before moving back to San Antonio. John continued to work in dental work until his retirement from the military in 1976 after 28 years of service. He then continued to work as a dental technician in the Civil Service until his final retirement in the mid nineties.
John also had a deep passion for bowling. After picking up the hobby while stationed in Germany, John continued to bowl regularly with various teams and would often travel to tournaments in Reno, Baton Rouge, and more with his wife, daughters, and grandchildren.
John was kept busy in his retirement by his eight grandchildren. He loved to take them bowling, make them his famous breakfast tacos, and treat them to McDonalds. You could always find John with a camera in hand, capturing candid moments every chance he got to fill his photo albums. He kept his house immaculate, and spent much of his time tending to the yard and collecting pecans from his trees to prepare in mini pies for the holidays. John had a giving soul and often volunteered with the church and the Angel Tree every holiday season.
He was preceded in death by his daughter: Rosalind Soliz. He is survived by his loving wife of 67 years, Gloria Soliz; daughters: Sonia Roper and her husband, John, and Marina Slagle and her husband, Andrew; grandchildren: Gabriela Sanders, John and Catherine Roper, Sara, Aimee, Lauren, Andy, and Seth Slagle; several nieces and nephews. A Visitation will be held on Monday, December 16, 2019 at 6pm at Sunset Funeral Home with a rosary following at 7pm. A mass celebrating his life will be held on Tuesday, December 17, 2019 at 11am at St. Peter Prince of the Apostles Church, 111 Barilla Pl, Alamo Heights, TX 78209 with interment to follow at 2pm at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.
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