ENRIQUE (Henry) MALDONADO JR.
It is with great sadness that the family of Enrique (Henry) Maldonado Jr. announce his passing on November 28, 2020. He was always admired for his outlook on life and dedication to faith, family, and hard work.
Henry was a man of strong courage and determination. After losing his father at a young age, he was able to go from a migrant farmworker to the first in his family to graduate from Pan American College. After graduation, Henry worked as a field accountant for the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC). In 1982, he opened Maldonado Business Services alongside his wife Margaret. His business quickly became a key stakeholder in our community. He assisted the Rio Grande Valley and state businesses with liquor licenses, accounting, and consulting services. One of his main focuses was to develop a TABC approved program which addressed the needs of responsible alcohol service. Since 1987, this program continues to train thousands of local and state sellers, servers, and bartenders with the skills necessary to comply with state certification. Henry had been a member of the Texas Association of Beverage License Services Council since 1990. Many business leaders fondly remember Henry’s strong dedication to his clients by the services he provided to help create a safer community.
Henry’s dedication to faith was admired by many, serving as a founding patron alongside his father and brothers of St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church. He helped transform a small rural chapel, into a full-scale Catholic Church, which continues to serve the growing needs of the San Carlos community. He served on the parish council and volunteered at the annual October festivals. After retirement, his biggest desire was to preserve family history, and provide educational opportunities to many underserved community members. To the Maldonado family, Henry was regarded as the pillar of education, always taking time to sit down with younger family members and asking, “Where are you going to college?” As the first college graduate in the family, he needed to make sure that the educational bar was always raised. Many times, you could find him with his cup of coffee discussing the power of higher education and always advocating for a better quality of life. Through his life’s work, he truly lived the American Dream.
Henry is preceded in death by his parents, Enrique R. and Baleria Salinas Maldonado; seven brothers, Santos (Diorica), Crisoforo (Braulia), Eliberto (Cresencia), Noe (Irene), Adan (Lydia), Rene (Beatrice), Reynaldo (Aida) Maldonado; one sister, Celia Salinas Maldonado, all from Edinburg/San Carlos; his in-laws, Jose S. and Isabel Gonzalez from Elsa, Texas; and sister-in law, Dahlia (Arturo) Luna from Edinburg, Texas. He is survived by his loving wife of 48 years, Margaret Gonzalez Maldonado; his son, Judge Omar (Christi) Maldonado, both from Edinburg, Texas; and his daughter, Yvette (Chad) Kelley from Frisco, Texas. Henry’s greatest joy in life was spending time with his four grandchildren: Addison, Andrew, Everleigh, and Grant Henry.
On Thursday, December 17th, family and friends extended their condolences from 4 to 6 p.m. at Memorial Event Center, located at 208 E. Canton in Edinburg, Texas via drive-by. A funeral mass in his honor took place Friday, December 18th, at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church located at 8310 Highland Ave. in San Carlos, Texas at 2:00 p.m. Private interment followed at Highland Memorial Park in Weslaco, Texas.
Serving as pallbearers were Oscar Maldonado, Rolando Maldonado, Raymond Resendez, Matthew Martinez, Eduardo Villanueva, and Raul Villarreal.
Funeral services are under the direction of Memorial Funeral Home in Edinburg.