Felipe Cervantes
1926 - 2020
Felipe Cervantes, 94, of Carrollton,
TX, formerly of Newton, KS, died at his daughter's home, surrounded
by his loving family on December 29, 2020.
He was born Feb. 5, 1926 to Fabian
Cervantes and Felicitas Salazar of El Dorado, KS.
He was preceded in death by his
parents, five sisters, Julia Gonzalez from Mexico, Juanita Jaso,
Newton, KS, Mary Madrigal, Wichita, KS, and Ramona Requena, ElDorado,
KS, and two brothers, Andrew Cervantes, El Dorado, KS and Ray
Cervantes, Wichita, KS. One living sister, Ruth Cabrales, lives in El
Dorado, KS.
He married the love of his life,
Josephine Arroyo, of 67 years on Jan. 3, 1953 in Derby, KS. He also
leaves behind 2 sons, Philip Jr. of Farmers Branch, TX, Micheal
Cervantes of Carrollton TX and 2 daughters, Brenda Cervantes, and
Debra Walker from Carrollton, TX. He had 6 grandchildren, and five
great-grandchildren.
He worked for the Santa Fe Railroad for
40 years and retired in 1988. He walked every day to and from work
99% of the time. We always joked about how he could eat macaroni and
cheese sandwiches almost every day for his lunch or dinner.
Our dad loved to eat sweets, so it was
never a surprise that he would always ask us to pick him up a
strawberry shake from Braums when we were out running errands.
Another great memory we joked about, is
when our mother worked nights, dad loved to go to the bar on Old Main
and play pool. He would always tell us kids, "Let's go for a
ride." We would be so excited. Little did we know we would have
to stay in the car while he went inside to have a cold one. Boy, did
he get a chewing out from mom when she found out what he had done.
The kids would make silly but memorable
home videos named, "The Cervantes Bunch", "Mariachis
Concert", 50th anniversary, etc. He would truly enjoy watching
them, usually laughing a lot. It was like family night.
Dad loved his family and was very proud
of the accomplishments of his children. He selflessly sacrificed his
own needs in order to give his children meaningful experiences and
opportunities as we grew up.
His son, Philip, the eldest son,
provided much joy and memories, taking dad to fancy restaurants, or
just sitting with him during a Wichita State Shockers basketball game
or a movie. Micheal is the musician in the family and dad loved
listening to his music, and going to the recitals and concerts.
Micheal's song, "Dancing with the Angels", was one of the
songs he wanted sung at his passing. It was played for him, along
with "Ave Maria." Brenda remembers her dad going to a
basketball tournament out of state to surprise her, only to find out
the time was changed and he made a trip for nothing. After that, he
always called to verify times. Debra played softball and remembers
how excited dad was to go to California to watch her win a National
Softball Championship. He would travel many times with the parents of
the ballplayers in an RV to wherever a game was being played, or with
his good friends in a truck to move his children's furniture to
Texas. He would talk about how much fun they had and how he truly
loved those moments.
He loved listening to Mariachi music
and going to the Mexican dances with his family and friends.
The Newton Mexican-American Athletic
Club (NMAAC) July 4th Softball Fastpitch tourney, was always a
pleasure for him to work, watch, and even play on a team. Dad was
elected to the NMAAC Hall of Fame on July, 1995. He was one of the
original players and truly loved the game. In 1998, he was on the
Legends team and felt humbled by the experience.
Dad was a devout Catholic and his faith
never wavered. Dad was a member of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church for
67 years.
Being a part of the Kansas Honor Flight
was by far one of the highlights of his life. It was very meaningful
because he was able to share the experience with his two kids, Philip
and Brenda. He was given the opportunity to place the wreath at the
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on Sept.
26-28, 2012.
There are two links associated with his
honor flight:
Kansas Honor Flight Felipe Cervantes
approx. 20 min. https://youtu.be/uj65AS6CXj4
Felipe Cervantes Wreath Ceremony
approx. 5 min. https://youtu.be/CAMJobPNpvQ
Graveside services will be held on
Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021 at 11:15 am at DFW National Cemetery, 2000
Mountain Creek Parkway, Dallas, TX. Visitation will be held that
morning at 9 am. For more information visit Felipe Cervantes Obituary
- Carrollton, TX (dignitymemorial.com)
In lieu of flowers, the family requests
any donations to:
NMAAC
818 Spruce
Newton, KS 67114
Or
Notre Dame School of Dallas
2018 Allen Street
Dallas, TX 75204
