His father, Celestino, started a family construction business and his sons worked with him throughout the years before starting businesses of their own. John took pride in his ability to build furniture that would last, whether it was for his daughter going to college in Indiana or for his friends. Even in retirement, John insisted on keeping his tools available “just in case”.
He joined the US Army in 1965 and was honorably discharged in 1973, serving seven years. He was stationed in Fort Hood in Texas, Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany, and then Fort Jackson in South Carolina. John was very proud of his service to his country and would bring up stories from his time in the Army. Some of his closest friends were fellow vets that he would help with getting through the VA system and obtaining the services they needed.
John always enjoyed playing bingo, both with his mother and his sister-in-law, Elida, and he was always part of the local bingo games in the community. He also loved working on jigsaw puzzles with his friends, sometimes going downstairs to figure out a difficult piece in the early morning hours. He was also a helping hand and a Mr. Fix It around his apartment complex, putting together furniture or fixing a wobbly end table. John’s daughters were told about how their dad was always putting others first, making sure that he did what he could to help his friends. He never made a big deal about doing so, and many people had reached out to his daughters to say how much they would miss his presence.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Celestino and Evelyn Urdiales and his brother Bobby Urdiales.
John is survived by his daughters Sarah and Evangelina and their mother Margie; sister Rosileta; brothers Celestino, Jr., Michael, Louis, Larry, Ronnie, Donnie, and Rudy; numerous nieces and nephews; along with friends at Baybrook Park where he lived for the last ten years. John will be missed by all!
A memorial service will be held at Forest Park East Funeral Home in Webster, Texas on Tuesday, May 7, 2024, at 10:00 a.m.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.9.6