Rogerio Lopez, 97, passed away peacefully on Sunday, October 10th, at his home in Corpus Christi, surrounded by his loving family, following a longstanding illness. Rogerio graduated as valedictorian of Rio Grande City High School in 1941. After serving honorably in the U.S. Army, he attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he became the first Hispanic ever to earn a Bachelor of Science from the College of Chemical Engineering. In 1951 he married the love of his life, Maria Esperanza Villarreal, and together they had three children. He was devoted to his family, his church, his career with PPG Industries, and his community.
Rogerio is survived by his wife; daughter Cynthia Jones and her family (husband Mark, daughter Nicole Jones, daughter Lauren Broering, son-in-law James Broering, and grandchildren, Caroline, Scarlett, and Andrew Broering); daughter Grace Dudley and her family (husband William, daughter Candace DeFratus, son Douglas DeFratus, daughter-in-law Gillian DeFratus, and granddaughter Charlotte DeFratus); and son Roger Lopez and his family (wife Debbie, children Rylan, Rowan, and Darcy Lopez); brother Romeo Lopez and his family (wife Lydia and four children); and brother Ruben Lopez and his family (wife Melba and two sons), and many loving nieces and nephews.
He is preceded by his parents, Maria B. and Miguel Lopez; sister Maria de la Luz Hinojosa; brother Roberto Lopez; brother Rodolfo Lopez; brother Rene Rolando Lopez; and several nieces and nephews.
Prayer service and visitation will be Wednesday, October 13, 2021 from 6:00pm-8:00 pm at Kelsey Memorial United Methodist Church, 1610 Comanche, Corpus Christi, Texas 78401. The Funeral Service will be on Thursday, October 14, 2021 at Kelsey Memorial. Entombment will be Thursday, October 14, 2021 at 1:00 pm immediately following the funeral service at Seaside Memorial Park, 4357 Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi, Texas 78412.
In the words of James Garrison, “There are some who bring a light so great to the world that even after they are gone, the light remains.” We will do our best to carry on without him and keep his light shining brightly.
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