Pedro Osornio, who opened Fayetteville's first Mexican restaurant in 1961 and built it into a multi-state business with a host of dedicated customers, died Wednesday in his Hope Mills home. He was 82. The last Pedro's, on Skibo Road, closed in 2001 when Mr. Osornio, then 68, tried to retire. An inveterate workaholic, he simply transferred his time to his property management business. "He worked right up until about 80," said Pedro "Peo" Osornio, his youngest child. "He loved every minute of it." Only after Mr. Osornio was diagnosed with a heart disease did he slow down. Then he began reading history and military books as voraciously as he had ever worked. Mr. Osornio used his smarts, work ethic, charm and love of the Mexican food he grew up eating in California to succeed in business. He also dressed in a mariachi suit when he worked the front of the restaurant and laughed and joked with customers while making sure they were happy with their food. After serving three years in the Army in the early 1950s, including a stint at Fort Bragg, he figured Hispanic soldiers at the post would flock to a taco stand that served the food for which they were homesick. First, he went back to California to work in factories and earn a stake. He returned to North Carolina in 1961, opening Pedro's on Hay Street, about where the city's police department is now, family members said. Hispanic soldiers did indeed flock there. Eventually, once they got over their suspicion of the strange- sounding dishes, so did plenty of other people. Eventually, he closed the Hay Street restaurant, after Cross Creek Mall opened, siphoning business from downtown, but he opened other locations in the city - on Bragg Boulevard, Raeford Road and Skibo Road - as well as locations elsewhere in North Carolina and in two other states. He also operated a wholesale products division. He later gradually reduced the size of his operation to focus on quality. Some Pedro's fans were so devoted that when they learned the last location was closing in 2001, they came from all over. One couple flew in from California for one last meal at Pedro's. Others volunteered to wash dishes at the restaurant, just because. Others bought dozens of burritos to keep in the freezer. Michele Brown met Pedro Osornio when she worked as a waitress at one of the restaurants. He was a stickler for detail at the business and she didn't like him much - at first. "I thought he was bossy," she said. But over time, they warmed to each other, and married in 1972. Mrs. Osornio said some people thought the marriage couldn't last. There was a 17-year age difference and Mr. Osornio had three nearly grown children from his first marriage. But she said nothing was further from the truth. "He became the love of my life and vice-versa," Mrs. Osornio said. "We were so happy. We just enjoyed being together. He was my best friend." Family was as important as work to Mr. Osornio, whose four children, including his son with Mrs. Osornio, all live in the Fayetteville area. Their close-knit ranks also include seven grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, five siblings, other relatives and countless friends. "Many of his dear friends were former customers and people he'd met through the restaurants and all that," said Peo Osornio. In recent days, Mr. Osornio learned that nothing could be done to help his failing heart. He reacted to the news by telling jokes that had medical staff at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill "rolling," Mrs. Osornio said. He then insisted that he be taken back home to Hope Mills. Mrs. Osornio said he told the family not to cry after he was gone. "He said, 'Don't boo-hoo. I'm 82. I've had a wonderful life,'" she recounted. "He never felt sorry for himself. He had no regrets." A memorial is planned for April 1 at 12:30 p.m. at the Rogers and Breece Funeral Home Chapel, after a visitation from 10:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

By Catherine Pritchard Staff writer for the Fayetteville Observer, Mar 24, 2016