Fidencio E. Gutierrez, 81, died Sunday, February 22, 2015 at his home in San Antonio, TX. On the day of his rebirth with God, he left his four boys and their families, Jose Roberto and his wife, Rosie, Ricardo and his wife, Kathy, Ruben and his wife, Alma and State Representative Rolando Gutierrez and his wife Sarah, and his second wife Bertha Espinoza Gutierrez and her two children, Alberto and Alicia Gomez in addition to 16 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Diamantina Perez Gutierrez. Fidencio E. Gutierrez emigrated from Mexico in 1951, leaving his home in General Zuazua, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. The last of the Gutierrez brothers to leave the family farm, he hitchhiked his way to Texas to find work. In San Antonio, he earned a meager wage doing stoop labor, picking onions and radishes row upon row in the fields of the Van De Walle Farms. Working odd jobs, Fidencio cleaned the grease pits at Coney Island Hot Dogs restaurant downtown and worked as a janitor sweeping out the backs of grocery stores. Every month he saved a few dollars to send his parents, Maria Sebastiana and Fernando Gutierrez back home. He never stopped sending them their monthly "ayudita." In 1954, he married Diamantina Perez, a high school graduate from Freer, TX. Diamantina and Fidencio made a home and started a family. With help from his wife, he mastered English and obtained a Texas truck driver's license. He worked the loading docks of National Grocers on the city's downtown westside. He drove the trucks at Metzger's Dairy delivering milk to the doorsteps of so many families across a growing city. His personable style, quick-to-learn attitude and determination only honed an instinctive skill and ensured a life's vocation in the art of salesmanship. And Fidencio could sell anything. Colleagues would say of his abilities, "Fidencio can sell snow cones in Alaska." By 1960, Fidencio had taken the licensing exam for the Texas life insurance board. He worked part-time with his brother Ramiro, and joined the Galveston-based Insurance firm, American National Insurance Company. By the mid-sixties, Fidencio led his regional office performance in sales. Management noticed. Mr. N.L. Hutson, his friend and mentor, promoted Fidencio to Assistant Manager, and he began to train new agents. His tenacity earned him dozens of awards and Citations of Merit, including all-expense paid sales jaunts to places like New Orleans and Las Vegas and later, to more faraway countries like New Zealand and Switzerland. By 1969, Fidencio had earned the title of District Manager. With a new office to be launched on the far west side of San Antonio, near Lackland Air Force base, he was given responsibilities over a sales staff of thirty agents, most of whom were Mexican immigrants, just like Fidencio. In the early years of his new career, he had realized that the vast majority of Spanish-speaking families on the city's west side had never been considered a lucrative sales marketuntil then. Recognizing an opportunity to make available and sell insurance to this growing underserved community, by May of 1971, Fidencio's office had won the prestigious President's Award for national sales. Fatefully, that was the year that Diamantina would pass awayleaving four sons to be raised by a single father. God has a way of providing for those who seek His help. Dad would be joined by a helper, a companion and friend, who married him and served as mother to his 9-month old son, Roland as well as the other boys. Bertha Espinoza Gutierrez, became Fidencio's companion for over 25 years. She was loved by Fidencio for her own hard work and sacrifice for the Gutierrez family those many years. Fidencio never graduated from high school, but his legacy is the patrimony of education that he made possible for all his children. Viewing will be on Thursday, February 26, 2015 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. with a Rosary to follow at 7:00 p.m. at The Angelus Funeral Home, 1119 N. St. Mary's St., between Brooklyn and McCullough. The Mass of Resurrection will be offered on Friday, February 27, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Paul Catholic Church, 350 Sutton Drive (at St. Cloud). Interment in San Fernando Archdiocesan Cemetery No.2. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to St. Paul Catholic School's fund, the future House of Brigid, 350 Sutton Drive, San Antonio, TX 78228, Attn: Jennifer Smyrl