Silvestre Rodriguez Alvarado, born on December 31, 1935, died on August 02, 2007, at the age of 71 years.
Silvestre was the second of fourteen children born to Francisco and Bonificia Alvarado. His parents, sister Juanita and brothers Antonio and Seferino Sr., precede him in death.
Silvestre and his parents were survivors of the Repatriation of Mexicans in 1938. Later he and the Alvarado family were migrant workers at the cotton fields of Texas before settling down in San Antonio in the mid 1950's. He served honorably in the United States Navy from 1956 to 1959, and was a Machinist Mate onboard the aircraft carrier USS Midway and the Destroyer USS Walke. Despite his hard upbringing, Silvestre defeated all odds and earned an Associate's Degree from St. Philips College, and attended the University of Texas at San Antonio where he majored in Business Administration.
Silvestre's occupation for 42 years was as a truck driver, and after his retirement, he became a bus driver for the Somerset and Southwest Independent School Districts.
"To be absent from the body is to be present in the Lord" (1 Cor 5:3).
Source: Castle Ridge Mortuary
Silvestre Rodriguez Alvarado came from a family of cotton pickers, but he helped turn his family's page of life into a success story. Alvarado, 71, died from lung cancer Thursday.
His parents had planned to start a family in Port Lavaca, but they were repatriated to Mexico when Alvarado was 3 years old. Three years after being repatriated, Alvarado's father was drafted into the U.S. Army. The Alvarado family moved back to Texas and settled in Orange Grove.
Alvarado's mother bore 14 children. When each of them turned 8, they had to work on farms in Orange Grove. They lived in a small, three-bedroom house.
Knowing that his family relied on his wages, Alvarado stopped going to school after the sixth grade and worked on farms full time. He also did construction work on the roads.
A few years later, Alvarado's father became ill. He was admitted to Brooke Army Medical Center and the Alvarado family moved to San Antonio.
Alvarado grew up watching his family struggle. Determined to help, Alvarado joined the Navy in 1956. He was a Machinist Mate onboard the aircraft carrier USS Midway and USS Walke. After serving nearly four years, Alvarado got out the Navy. A year later he married Paula Garcia Alvarado, his wife of 47 years.
Alvarado worked for 42 years as a truck driver. During that time, he started a family of his own. He and his wife had four children. Alvarado built a house for his family in Atascosa. He did all of the plumbing and electrical work himself.
Alvarado knew there was something he needed to do. He wanted to set an example for his children, his brother said. So he earned a GED and then began attending St. Philip's College, where he received an associate's degree.
After 42 years of driving trucks, Alvarado retired. Shortly after retirement, he became a bus driver for Somerset and Southwest Independent School Districts. Alvarado drove buses for the districts until he became too ill.
He died at his home in Atascosa surrounded by his family. Alvarado was the first child in his family to go into the military. He lived to see 10 of his siblings serve in the military, and each of his brothers and sisters who lived to be adults holds an associate's degree.
Source: Tunette M. Callis~Express-News
MM3 US NAVY
Silvestre was the second of fourteen children born to Francisco and Bonificia Alvarado. His parents, sister Juanita and brothers Antonio and Seferino Sr., precede him in death.
Silvestre and his parents were survivors of the Repatriation of Mexicans in 1938. Later he and the Alvarado family were migrant workers at the cotton fields of Texas before settling down in San Antonio in the mid 1950's. He served honorably in the United States Navy from 1956 to 1959, and was a Machinist Mate onboard the aircraft carrier USS Midway and the Destroyer USS Walke. Despite his hard upbringing, Silvestre defeated all odds and earned an Associate's Degree from St. Philips College, and attended the University of Texas at San Antonio where he majored in Business Administration.
Silvestre's occupation for 42 years was as a truck driver, and after his retirement, he became a bus driver for the Somerset and Southwest Independent School Districts.
"To be absent from the body is to be present in the Lord" (1 Cor 5:3).
Source: Castle Ridge Mortuary
Silvestre Rodriguez Alvarado came from a family of cotton pickers, but he helped turn his family's page of life into a success story. Alvarado, 71, died from lung cancer Thursday.
His parents had planned to start a family in Port Lavaca, but they were repatriated to Mexico when Alvarado was 3 years old. Three years after being repatriated, Alvarado's father was drafted into the U.S. Army. The Alvarado family moved back to Texas and settled in Orange Grove.
Alvarado's mother bore 14 children. When each of them turned 8, they had to work on farms in Orange Grove. They lived in a small, three-bedroom house.
Knowing that his family relied on his wages, Alvarado stopped going to school after the sixth grade and worked on farms full time. He also did construction work on the roads.
A few years later, Alvarado's father became ill. He was admitted to Brooke Army Medical Center and the Alvarado family moved to San Antonio.
Alvarado grew up watching his family struggle. Determined to help, Alvarado joined the Navy in 1956. He was a Machinist Mate onboard the aircraft carrier USS Midway and USS Walke. After serving nearly four years, Alvarado got out the Navy. A year later he married Paula Garcia Alvarado, his wife of 47 years.
Alvarado worked for 42 years as a truck driver. During that time, he started a family of his own. He and his wife had four children. Alvarado built a house for his family in Atascosa. He did all of the plumbing and electrical work himself.
Alvarado knew there was something he needed to do. He wanted to set an example for his children, his brother said. So he earned a GED and then began attending St. Philip's College, where he received an associate's degree.
After 42 years of driving trucks, Alvarado retired. Shortly after retirement, he became a bus driver for Somerset and Southwest Independent School Districts. Alvarado drove buses for the districts until he became too ill.
He died at his home in Atascosa surrounded by his family. Alvarado was the first child in his family to go into the military. He lived to see 10 of his siblings serve in the military, and each of his brothers and sisters who lived to be adults holds an associate's degree.
Source: Tunette M. Callis~Express-News
MM3 US NAVY
Silvestre Rodriguez Alvarado, born on December 31, 1935, died on August 02, 2007, at the age of 71 years.
Silvestre was the second of fourteen children born to Francisco and Bonificia Alvarado. His parents, sister Juanita and brothers Antonio and Seferino Sr., precede him in death.
Silvestre and his parents were survivors of the Repatriation of Mexicans in 1938. Later he and the Alvarado family were migrant workers at the cotton fields of Texas before settling down in San Antonio in the mid 1950's. He served honorably in the United States Navy from 1956 to 1959, and was a Machinist Mate onboard the aircraft carrier USS Midway and the Destroyer USS Walke. Despite his hard upbringing, Silvestre defeated all odds and earned an Associate's Degree from St. Philips College, and attended the University of Texas at San Antonio where he majored in Business Administration.
Silvestre's occupation for 42 years was as a truck driver, and after his retirement, he became a bus driver for the Somerset and Southwest Independent School Districts.
"To be absent from the body is to be present in the Lord" (1 Cor 5:3).
Source: Castle Ridge Mortuary
Silvestre Rodriguez Alvarado came from a family of cotton pickers, but he helped turn his family's page of life into a success story. Alvarado, 71, died from lung cancer Thursday.
His parents had planned to start a family in Port Lavaca, but they were repatriated to Mexico when Alvarado was 3 years old. Three years after being repatriated, Alvarado's father was drafted into the U.S. Army. The Alvarado family moved back to Texas and settled in Orange Grove.
Alvarado's mother bore 14 children. When each of them turned 8, they had to work on farms in Orange Grove. They lived in a small, three-bedroom house.
Knowing that his family relied on his wages, Alvarado stopped going to school after the sixth grade and worked on farms full time. He also did construction work on the roads.
A few years later, Alvarado's father became ill. He was admitted to Brooke Army Medical Center and the Alvarado family moved to San Antonio.
Alvarado grew up watching his family struggle. Determined to help, Alvarado joined the Navy in 1956. He was a Machinist Mate onboard the aircraft carrier USS Midway and USS Walke. After serving nearly four years, Alvarado got out the Navy. A year later he married Paula Garcia Alvarado, his wife of 47 years.
Alvarado worked for 42 years as a truck driver. During that time, he started a family of his own. He and his wife had four children. Alvarado built a house for his family in Atascosa. He did all of the plumbing and electrical work himself.
Alvarado knew there was something he needed to do. He wanted to set an example for his children, his brother said. So he earned a GED and then began attending St. Philip's College, where he received an associate's degree.
After 42 years of driving trucks, Alvarado retired. Shortly after retirement, he became a bus driver for Somerset and Southwest Independent School Districts. Alvarado drove buses for the districts until he became too ill.
He died at his home in Atascosa surrounded by his family. Alvarado was the first child in his family to go into the military. He lived to see 10 of his siblings serve in the military, and each of his brothers and sisters who lived to be adults holds an associate's degree.
Source: Tunette M. Callis~Express-News
MM3 US NAVY
Silvestre was the second of fourteen children born to Francisco and Bonificia Alvarado. His parents, sister Juanita and brothers Antonio and Seferino Sr., precede him in death.
Silvestre and his parents were survivors of the Repatriation of Mexicans in 1938. Later he and the Alvarado family were migrant workers at the cotton fields of Texas before settling down in San Antonio in the mid 1950's. He served honorably in the United States Navy from 1956 to 1959, and was a Machinist Mate onboard the aircraft carrier USS Midway and the Destroyer USS Walke. Despite his hard upbringing, Silvestre defeated all odds and earned an Associate's Degree from St. Philips College, and attended the University of Texas at San Antonio where he majored in Business Administration.
Silvestre's occupation for 42 years was as a truck driver, and after his retirement, he became a bus driver for the Somerset and Southwest Independent School Districts.
"To be absent from the body is to be present in the Lord" (1 Cor 5:3).
Source: Castle Ridge Mortuary
Silvestre Rodriguez Alvarado came from a family of cotton pickers, but he helped turn his family's page of life into a success story. Alvarado, 71, died from lung cancer Thursday.
His parents had planned to start a family in Port Lavaca, but they were repatriated to Mexico when Alvarado was 3 years old. Three years after being repatriated, Alvarado's father was drafted into the U.S. Army. The Alvarado family moved back to Texas and settled in Orange Grove.
Alvarado's mother bore 14 children. When each of them turned 8, they had to work on farms in Orange Grove. They lived in a small, three-bedroom house.
Knowing that his family relied on his wages, Alvarado stopped going to school after the sixth grade and worked on farms full time. He also did construction work on the roads.
A few years later, Alvarado's father became ill. He was admitted to Brooke Army Medical Center and the Alvarado family moved to San Antonio.
Alvarado grew up watching his family struggle. Determined to help, Alvarado joined the Navy in 1956. He was a Machinist Mate onboard the aircraft carrier USS Midway and USS Walke. After serving nearly four years, Alvarado got out the Navy. A year later he married Paula Garcia Alvarado, his wife of 47 years.
Alvarado worked for 42 years as a truck driver. During that time, he started a family of his own. He and his wife had four children. Alvarado built a house for his family in Atascosa. He did all of the plumbing and electrical work himself.
Alvarado knew there was something he needed to do. He wanted to set an example for his children, his brother said. So he earned a GED and then began attending St. Philip's College, where he received an associate's degree.
After 42 years of driving trucks, Alvarado retired. Shortly after retirement, he became a bus driver for Somerset and Southwest Independent School Districts. Alvarado drove buses for the districts until he became too ill.
He died at his home in Atascosa surrounded by his family. Alvarado was the first child in his family to go into the military. He lived to see 10 of his siblings serve in the military, and each of his brothers and sisters who lived to be adults holds an associate's degree.
Source: Tunette M. Callis~Express-News
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