Eagle Passan Juan Bautista Esquenazi Passes Away at Age 79
Juan Bautista Esquenazi, 79, of Eagle Pass, passed away on June 20, 2015 in San Antonio, Texas after bravely confronting cancer and Parkinson’s disease for a little over a year. He was born on March 6, 1936 in Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico. His family moved to Guadalajara where he left school after completing the sixth grade. As a teen, he learned to make feta cheese in the family garage, which he sold door-to-door.
In his late teens, Juan immigrated to the United States where he started out his employment as a stock boy for several department stores. Teaching himself English, he worked his way up to store manager for Franklin’s Stores in Laredo, Texas. There he met the love of his life, Imelda, in 1959. They were married the following year, and moved to Eagle Pass in 1962 when Juan was promoted to managing the local Franklin’s Store, and two other stores for the same company. Always in search for a greater challenge, he left the Franklin’s organization in 1966 to open his own ladies fashion store, La Villa De Paris. In the 70s, the family opened two more stores in Eagle Pass, Lizette’s and Mr. John’s. His further business ventures extended into real estate sales and development, including the residential community of the Village of Hopedale.
He served as member and officer on a number of civic and social organizational boards including the Chamber of Commerce, Fort Duncan Club, the Maverick County Development Corporation, was one of the founders of the Maverick County Appraisal District and served on the board of the First National Bank.
Above all, Juan will always be remembered as strong and resilient, deeply committed to his family. Generous with his heart, he cherished, and took delight in his grandchildren. He loved sharing the outdoors with others, often marveling out loud about God’s awesome creation. He was a man of integrity and optimism, who saw the very best in people. By his example, he taught his children about the value of a strong work ethic, of patience and forbearance with others, of the importance of family and of the power of unconditional love.
He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Imelda Esquenazi of Eagle Pass; son, Robert Esquenazi of San Antonio; daughter, Lizette Esquenazi of Eagle Pass; daughter, Carmen (Russell) Morgan and their children, Bella, Zach, Maya and Camilla of Austin; son, León (Waldina) Esquenazi and their children León and Andrea, of Leander, Texas; daughter, Margarita Perez and her daughter Sophia, of San Antonio; sister, Rosa Emilia (David) Kaback, of Ft. Worth; and many dear friends and relatives. He was preceded in death by his father, León Esquenazi; mother, Carmen Rosa Esquenazi Echevarria; brother, Liezer Esquenazi; and sister, Bella Cabrera Esquenazi.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, July 11 at Memorial Funeral Chapel, 1705 Del Rio Blvd. in Eagle Pass. Visitation from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Memorial service at 1:00 p.m., the Rev. Jeff Wood of Sebastian, FL, officiating. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (www.stjude.org).
