Jose Luis Maldonado, Jr. was born on October 7, 1974, and entered eternal rest on March 19, 2025. Luis was only 50 years old, but he loved life and lived it to the fullest. He was surrounded by his family and many friends as they said their final goodbyes that Wednesday afternoon. He was a loving and devoted husband to his wife, Valerie, and a proud father to daughters Lorraine and Sabrina, and of course, his beloved dogs, JoJo and Loretta.
He grew up in San Antonio where he attended St. Luke Catholic School and Central Catholic High School. He attended University of Texas at Austin and was an avid Longhorns fan. Luis’ love for sports began as a young boy playing baseball in first grade and continued throughout the years as he played baseball, basketball, soccer, football and track in grade school and high school. Many of his teammates from his years at Central remain among his closest friends today. His passion for sports was well known, especially his love for the Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Cubs and San Antonio Spurs.
“Sweet Lou” always greeted everyone with a smile on his face and warmth in his heart. He had a wonderful zest for life, and especially loved golfing with friends, anything related to Star Wars, the Beatles or the Eagles. He loved trivia and poker nights with friends and barbecuing for any occasion. But most of all, Luis always put his family and friends first, showering them with immense love, affection, and food. He was a charismatic friend to all who were lucky enough to meet him. Once he knew you, he would always remember your favorite beverage of choice the next time he saw you. That’s the kind of caring person he was, and he will forever live in our hearts.
Luis leaves behind a legacy of light, love and laughter. He was a fiercely loyal friend to many and will be greatly missed, but we are sure that Heaven has regular poker games now that he’s there.
Luis is preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, Andres and Pauline Maldonado, maternal grandmother, Christina Dominguez, and Uncle Sergio “Bucky” Maldonado. He is survived by his wife Valerie Gilliland Maldonado, daughters Lorraine and Sabrina Palacios, mother Anna Maldonado (Victor Zapata), father Jose Luis Maldonado, Sr., brother Jason Maldonado, sister Alexandria Rodriguez, grandfather Sam C. Dominguez, in-laws Juany and R.D. Miles, and many loving aunts, uncles, cousins, relatives and friends.
FUNERAL SERVICES
Porter Loring Mortuary-West
1710 West Loop 1604 North
Visitation:
Thursday, April 3, 2025
5:00-8:00 pm
Friday, April 4, 2025
1:00-2:00 pm
Service:
Friday, April 4, 2025
2:00 p.m.
In lieu of flowers the family asks that any memorial donations be made to Central Catholic High School to support The Jose “Sweet Lou” Maldonado 1993 Memorial Endowed Scholarship.
https://www.cchs-satx.org/apps/pages/give
