Albino Reyna's Obituary
WESLACO - Albino was born on February 19, 1943, in Mercedes, Texas to Albino and Cleotilde M. Reyna.
He spent most of his early years in Mercedes, where he went to school and built friendships that would last a lifetime. He was a 1961 graduate of Mercedes High School and enjoyed playing football for the mighty Tigers.
His competitive nature was not only visible on the field but also in his children as he always encouraged them to "be number one or just as good." On Monday, August 5, 2019, the Lord took him into His loving arms.
Fiercely independent, Albino left Mercedes after graduation to go out on his own, train-hopping through the Midwest and eventually landing in Hollywood where he parked cars for many of Hollywood's elite. He often told stories of parking cars for actors Vic Damone, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and others.
Eventually, he left Hollywood and traveled Northeast landing in Illinois, where he met his wife, Josephine. He often referred to her as a beauty, catching his eye at a dance they both attended.
While in Illinois, they would soon marry and become proud parents of three children. He worked for Ford Motor Company until he moved his family to Ohio to help his eldest brother with his business.
After a brief stint in Ohio, he moved his family to Mercedes, Texas to be close to his parents and raise his family. Soon after, they would have their fourth child, Belinda.
He considered his boys, diamonds and his daughters, pearls. Albino had an entrepreneurial spirit, moving to various cities in the Valley, including McAllen and Harlingen to try his hand at new businesses; however, he eventually returned to his prior A/C training, where he excelled and worked for both Coastal Engineering and Mangum Air Conditioning before settling in Weslaco to start his own business, Riverside Air Conditioning, which he owned for more than forty years.
He spent countless hours teaching his sons the trade so they would always have a skill they could use. He was a strong advocate of education and encouraged all of his children to get an education so they could "use their minds instead of their backs" to support their families.
Each took his advice and received degrees; however, he also believed that there was nothing wrong with "getting your hands dirty." Al, as many of his customers affectionately called him, was raised with a strong work ethic and believed that one should be adept at several skills, such as working on cars, fixing a leaky faucet, replacing a water heater or putting up sheetrock.
He was adept at all of these things as he was gifted with mechanical inclination. Throughout Al's years, he would travel to seek training for his craft and would eventually teach air conditioning/HVAC courses at various technical schools in the Valley, Houston and DFW area.
Albino also enjoyed supporting his kids in their many events and activities, such as Boy Scouts and Brownies, attending Panther football games to watch his son Guido or his daughter Patsy as she performed on the field as a Pacesetter. He also attended her many track meets and beauty pageants, as well as his son Hector's baseball games.
He took great pride in his Hispanic heritage often making his children practice the Spanish language by speaking to his customers over the phone. He loved history and could be found reading a volume of the encyclopedia and encouraging his children to do the same.
He loved westerns, so any day of the week you could find him watching Gunsmoke, Walker, Texas Ranger, or one of many Clint Eastwood movies. His ultimate favorite past-time was watching his beloved Dallas Cowboys. Win or lose, he remained faithful.
After a long career in air conditioning, Al retired and remained in Weslaco, where he could be found at many of the local restaurants, such as Keno and the Bronco sipping on coffee and eating an empanada.
He enjoyed visits from his children, siblings and grandchildren. He would share stories of his beloved mother and sister whom he both adored. He also had immense gratitude for his brothers Billy and Robert who both helped him during difficult times.
Albino will be remembered for his strong work ethic, his advocacy for education, and his ability to tackle any task. Albino is preceded in death by his parents, Albino and Cleotilde M. Reyna, his brothers, Guillermo (Billy), Armando, and Octaviano (Jaime) and his sister, Patricia (Patsy) Pena.
He is survived by two siblings, Rodrigo (Mary) and Roberto, his children Guido, Hector (Paula), Patricia (Patsy) Reyna-Zapata, and Belinda. He had several grandchildren, Samantha (Chad) Avery, Sarah, Eric, Elizabeth, Jennifer, Celina, Alex, Michael, Stephen Zapata, Sydney Zapata, Grayson Ortega, and Jamison Ortega.
He also had several great-grandchildren, Ryan, Dominic, Paisley, and Atlas. There was no other like Albino Reyna, Jr. He was one-of-a-kind, and he will be deeply missed.
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