Los Origens De La Familia Olivares :Information about Rodolfo Resendez
Rodolfo Resendez (b. 14 Jan 1914, d. 08 Jul 2004)
Notes for Rodolfo Resendez:
FOUND IN THE VALLEY MONITOR NEWSPAPER, McAllen TxHe was half brother to my grandmother on my mother's side.
RODOLFO RESENDEZ
RIO GRANDE CITY ??? Rodolfo Resendez, beloved father and grandfather, passed away Thursday afternoon at Mission Hospital. He was 90 years old. He was preceded in death by his wife, Fidela; brothers, Rafael, Leandro, Santos, Gumercindo, Ciro and Adan.
Resendez was a well-known rancher in Starr County. He was the youngest born in El Sauz to Antonio and Abrana Resendez on Jan. 14, 1914. Together with his brothers he worked two parcels of land known as El Tap??n and El Sartificado outside of El Sauz in northwest Starr County that totaled almost 2,000 acres. The ranch was part of an inheritance from his parents. After the death of his brother Leandro, Resendez was named executor of his father???s estate. Resendez and his brothers raised hundreds of cattle in their day. With the deaths of his brothers, Resendez almost single-handedly continued the family tradition of ranching until his early 80s, enduring the harshness of the South Texas weather. Along with raising cattle, Resendez, in his younger years, also tended a small flock of goats and grew cotton on a field belonging to the family.
When the nation was called to war, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served overseas from 1941-45. While stationed in England, Resendez would send part of his military paychecks home to his brothers for the purchase of a windmill to pump water for the cattle. The windmill is still in operation today. He often observed that it was one of the first metal-wheeled mills in the area.
After his military service, Resendez returned home and married Fidela Villarreal of La Rosita, who had just begun her teaching career at the tiny rural schoohouse in El Sauz. The family later moved to Rio Grande City but maintained their ranch house. He made the 40-mile round trip to the ranch daily to tend to his beloved cattle and land ensuring that it would remain in his family???s hands entirely. He found time to accompany his family to Disneyland, Las Vegas, Nev., Hoover Dam, Big Bend National Park, Carlsbad Caverns, Six Flags Over Texas, college football games in Kingsville and Austin and professional football games in Dallas.
Aside from ranching, his other passion was watching the University of Texas Longhorns play on television as well as the Dallas Cowboys.
For almost 30 years, Resendez gave much of his time to helping setup the annual Starr County Youth Fair. For his efforts, Resendez and his wife once were rewarded with grand marshal of the fair parade. He had also been a member of the Knights of Columbus and Veterans of Foreign Wars.
He is survived by his son, Roldolfo Jr. of Rio Grande City, son, Antonio; granddaughter, Celena Maria; grandson, Ruben Antonio all of Brady; sister, Eva R. Perez of Rio Grande City; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. today, July 10, 2004, at Immaculate Conception Church with burial to follow at St. John???s Cemetery. Rosary was recited Friday evening at Sanchez Funeral Home.
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More About Rodolfo Resendez:
Residence: 1930, Precinct 6, Starr, Texas.159
Children of Rodolfo Resendez and Fidela Villarreal are: