Willie A. Benavides, 89 years, was born April 19, 1928 in San Antonio, Texas.  He passed away peacefully on August 18, 2017 in San Antonio, Texas surrounded by his family. He was preceded in death by his parents, Willie Winn and Theresa A. Benavides.  He is survived by his former wife, Theresa Longoria Benavides, his daughters: Mary Elizabeth (Liz) Gonzaba, Esther Burns (Michael), Deborah Benavides (Yvette) and Dee Dee Benavides; his grandchildren:  Lizette Gonzaba, Jerry Gonzaba (Samantha), Jason Burns and Jeremy Burns (Veronica); his great grandchildren:  Alexia Gonzaba-Perez, Angelina Gonzaba-Garcia, Christopher Leonardo Gonzaba-Garcia and Gavin Gonzaba; his brother, Humbert Benavides and numerous cousins, nieces, nephews and friends.

Willie attended Fox Tech High School and was a member of the Rifle Team where he excelled as a leader and marksman winning several trophies for his sharp shooting skills.  Upon graduation in 1948, he joined the Army National Guard and was assigned to the 36th Infantry Division 141 1 HQ Battalion.  He served his country for 22 years retiring as a Master Sargent. Willie worked as a plumber and carpenter and helped to build the original Laredo Community College campus.

In 1971, Willie opened his own business, J & W Stainless Steel Fabrication, and for nearly 35 years, contributed to the Small Business community in San Antonio by securing numerous government contracts and providing fabricated products for OTIS Elevators, 7-11 Corporation, Coca-Cola Corporation and several other businesses throughout the state.  He was a smart business man and had the reputation for always being honest, reliable, hard-working which resulted in the majority of his business coming to him by word-of-mouth.

Willie was an avid hunter and loved to fish. He was a lifelong Dallas Cowboys fan and loved to watch WWF Wrestling and western movies with John Wayne. He was proud to be part Yaqui Indian and was a wonderful storyteller sharing his adventures about hunting and fishing. He loved to tell jokes and was quick to laugh.  He loved to dance and looked forward to the weekends when he would go out with his friends to different salsa clubs.

His family would like to thank the staff and his friends at Brookdale Fredericksburg Road, Dr. Ahmad and the staff at DaVita Dialysis Huebner Road. A very special thanks to the doctors and nurses at Methodist Main Medical Center for taking such great care of him in his final days. We would like to offer our most sincere thanks to his CICU nurses, Clayton, Jocelyn, Joe, Amber, Amanda and Crystal for their kindness, care and support.  Our most heartfelt thanks to Dr. Jose Font for always advocating for and providing the best care for our Dad. Because of you, we were able to have had Dad with us for so many more years. God bless you, Dr. Font.

In lieu of flowers ,
memorial donations can be made to
St. Gerard Catholic High School,
the American Diabetes Association, or
the American Heart Association