Miguel C. Lopez

Miguel C. Lopez, 92, of San Antonio Texas, died on Sunday, November 29,2020 after a brief yet overwhelming battle with late-stage metastatic cancer. His daughters Dianna and Rosanna were with him at his passing.

Miguel was born on July 7, 1928 in San Antonio, Texas to Elvira Castillo Tenorio, and was the son of Jose R. Lopez. He was the youngest child and half-brother to his six older Tenorio siblings. Miguel attended Sydney Lanier Junior and Senior High until the eleventh grade when he enlisted in the US Navy on July 11, 1945, four days after his 17th birthday. He was a Qualified Rifle Marksman and a Swimmer 2nd Class. He honorably served our country in the US Navy from 1945 until 1949. He was First Lookout Position One on the Tacoma Group, USS Munda CVE-104 “in the Pacific Theater as she participated in Operation Magic Carpet, the repatriation of U.S. forces from bases scattered throughout the Pacific”. He served also served as a USS Navy Fireman and was awarded the World War II Victory Medal in 1947. During his enlistment, he served in Guam, Seattle, Washington; Tacoma, Washington; Port Angeles, Washington; San Francisco, California; and San Diego, California.

Upon returning to civilian life in San Antonio, he met and courted Aida Christina Jasso. On May 4, 1952, Miguel married Aida at St Henry’s Catholic Church in San Antonio. They had six exceptional children. After securing his GED on December 14, 1973 using the military G.I. Bill, he attended San Antonio College, impressively earning four degrees in four years: Associate in Applied Science in Computer Electronics Technology (1990), Associate in Applied Science Communication Electronics Technology (1992), Associate in Science (1993), and Associate in Applied Science Advanced Electronics Technology (1993).

Like his educational achievements, Miguel’s work career reflects his exceptional aptitude in the electronic field. He was an electronics technician at Kelly Air Force Base, an electronic engineer at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, owner of an electronic repair business in Socorro, New Mexico; and an electronic technician in Tennessee, Austin, and Dallas. He retired from North East Independent School District as the Audio/Visual Technician in 1994, during which time he monitored and maintained the district’s audio-visual equipment, electronic devices, and computer hardware ensuring all worked correctly and efficiently throughout 70 campuses. While employed with the school district, he attended every basketball and football game to encourage and support the young athletes, and to ensure that the scoring devices and electronic components ran smoothly.

His favorite pastimes included watching the Spurs basketball team, learning software programs, surfing the internet on his computers, and gardening. His favorite flowers were anything blue and he had a passion for roses, red, yellow, and white. He loved planting blooming flowers, bushes, and hedge rows and eagerly used his veteran’s discount in as many nurseries as he could find. He made sure there was always something blooming that he could enjoy sitting on his porch during his retirement. Over the last few years, his back yard became a bounteous orchard of fruit and citrus trees (fourteen). He inherited his green thumb and his passion for gardening from his sisters Estella and Felipa.

Born and raised Catholic, Miguel also brought up his children in the faith with the perseverance of wife Aida. In time, he too became a more devout Catholic, attending mass at San Fernando Cathedral in downtown San Antonio. As he aged, even when it was too far to drive himself safely, he took several buses to attend daily mass at the cathedral.

He is preceded in death by his mother Elvira Castillo Tenorio; his father Jose R. Lopez; his devoted wife of 49 years Aida; his siblings Estella C. Tenorio, Felipa C. Tenorio Rivera, Henry C. Tenorio, Felix C. Tenorio, Ernest C. Tenorio, John C. Tenorio, mother-in-law Guadalupe T. Jasso (Pita), father-in-law Jesus R. Jasso (Chuy), as well as extended family members.

Miguel is survived by his six children and their spouses: son David and wife Deborah of Spring, Texas; son Daniel of Houston, Texas; daughter Dianna Furlan and husband Bill (William) of Lometa, Texas; son Richard and wife Sandra of San Antonio, Texas; son Diego and wife Lisa of Boerne, Texas; daughter Rosanna Gilliam and husband Paul of Tyler, Texas. He is also survived by thirteen grandchildren Robin Finkenkeller M.D. and husband William of St Louis, Missouri; Stephen Lopez and wife Emily of Houston, Texas; Christina Lopez of Louisiana; Ieuan Lopez of Houston; Dustin Daniel Lopez of Lithuania; Vincent Furlan of Sugarland, Texas; Richard Lopez II and wife Cora of San Antonio, Texas; Jessica Lopez of San Antonio; Carter Lopez, LCpl Noah Lopez (USMC), and Sydney Lopez of Boerne, Texas; Marissa Baurys and Zachary Baurys of Dallas, Texas, and eight great grandchildren Michael, Elisabeth, Rose and Gabriel Finkenkeller of St Louis, Missouri; Eli Furlan of the Woodlands, Texas; Rhylynn and Richard Lopez III of San Antonio, Texas; and Jayden Perez of San Antonio, Texas; and a host of in-laws, nieces, and nephews throughout Texas, United States, and several other countries.

Fathers are many things to us. They give us life…

They teach us how to live…

And then they send us out into the world to have lives or our own

And when they are gone, a part of them remains, not only in our hearts, but in who we are and how we live.

They are always with us, in all the colors that remind us of them, an in all the memories that we carry inside.

The family would like to extend appreciation to Thomas Wood and his staff at Beehive Assisted Living for their compassionate care and aid.

Visitation is Thursday, December 17, 2020 at Porter Loring Mortuary 1101 McCullough Ave, San Antonio, Texas from 5-7pm, followed by the Rosary at 7:00pm in the Porter Loring Chapel. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, December 18, 2020 at 12:00 noon at St. Anthony de Padua Catholic Church, 102 Lorenz Rd, San Antonio, TX. Following the Mass, a procession will depart at 1:30pm for interment with Military Honors at Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery 1520 Harry Wurzbach Rd, San Antonio, TX 78209. Arrangements under the direction and care of Porter Loring Mortuaries McCullough, San Antonio, Tx.