Lance Mitchell Rodriguez was born in San Antonio, Texas on August 29, 1985 and died on July 19, 2020. He is survived by his father, Peter Rodriguez and his brother, Blake. He is preceded in death by his mother, Rita Chaffin Rodriguez and both sets of grandparents. Lance was a fun-loving, spirited person from early childhood forward. Nothing ever brought him down for long with the possible exceptions of the passing of his maternal grandfather and the passing of his mother. He loved them both so much and missed them greatly. His grandfather was the subject of many a loving poem written by Lance.
And, what an amazing writer of poetry he was. Some of his selected works would go on to win him awards at Earl Warren High School where he graduated in 2004. He was also published once in the local newspaper and in the publication while he was a student at Northwest Vista Junior College where he majored in Social work and Psychology.
His working career landed him in many different roles from customer service to sales and service to management in the food and beverage industry specifically in the beverage part of the business. His favorite jobs were those where he successfully managed and ran more than one locally owned liquor store. This is where his true expertise developed. His favorite area in the industry was the promotion of local (and surrounding areas) craft beers and Texas Hill Country Wines. He was very instrumental in promoting many of the micro-breweries and the craft beers in the area. And, if you were involved in any of these areas then you were probably familiar with Lance and his level of expertise. It was important to him that the "little people" in the business were able to make their way. If a product was out there to be had, Lance made sure that everyone knew about it.
Lance loved life - no matter what. He loved his family fiercely and if you were his friend, he loved you the same way. He has been so well-loved in return throughout his life. He loved the simple things in life and was wise beyond his years. He was often referred to as a "young man with a wise old soul". Everyone that knew Lance knew that he was one of those very special people that you could turn to for anything- whether it was a gentle hug, a sweet smile, his deep infectious laughter and the best jokes. He was a kind listener who offered advice if you wanted it, a shoulder to cry on, a place to lay your head, a bite to eat, or a tasty beverage to help with whatever ailed you. A person could not ask for a better friend - you know who you are whether you've known him all your life or just for a short time - you know him to be a sincerely loyal kind of a friend.
Lance was baptized into the Catholic faith on January 30, 2020 at St. Anthony Mary Claret Catholic Church. He thought long and hard about this decision for several years. After the Baptism he said that it was one of the most amazing events of his life - he said he felt "fulfilled". He was reminded that he had always embodied the Lord's Way of doing things "for the least of my people" and "loving thy neighbor as thy self". He would say that he would recite The Holy Rosary at midnight "so that I could get a jump on the day".
Rest in peace, Lance where you no longer have to deal with the struggles of painful suffering or any other difficulty that you encountered along the way. Rest well with your mom and the other family members who went before you. And, look for all of us who hope to be reunited with you someday.
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