Jose Angel " Joe" Tamayo

Jose “Joe” Angel Tamayo passed away peacefully on October 11, 2021, joining his beloved wife, Lupana, in Paradise.

Joe was born in 1930, in Port Isabel, Texas, the son of John P. and Guadalupe “Chacha” Tamayo (née Perez). Joe’s father was Chief Petty Officer at the U.S. Coast Guard Station on South Padre Island and moved the family to Brownsville in the late 1930s where they resided on E. Washington Street for decades.

Joe graduated from St. Joseph Academy where he excelled in athletics, including football, baseball, basketball, and boxing. He had a great appreciation for music and also played alto saxophone.  During football games, Joe marched with the band at half-time, pads and all.

Upon graduation from high school, Joe attended the Tecnológico de Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico on a football scholarship, where he was a stand-out at offensive guard for “Los Borregos Salvajes”. Quite the celebrity, the local press there dubbed him “La Albondiga”. While studying in Monterrey, he met the love of his life, Maria Guadalupe “Lupana” Tamayo (née Gonzalez).

He possessed tremendous love for country. At the outbreak of the Korean War, Joe enlisted with the U.S. Marine Corps and saw fierce combat duty as a mobile artillery specialist, earning the Korean Service Medal with a star and the United Nations Ribbon. He remained a proud Marine throughout the rest of his life.

In 1955, Joe married Lupana in Monterrey and moved to Brownsville to start a family and earn a degree in Business Administration from Texas Southmost College. Joe was employed with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) from 1955 until his retirement in the mid-1980s.

As an adult, Joe had several passions that included coaching his sons’ pee-wee baseball teams at West Brownsville Little League; he was a tough coach but was truly loved by all his players. Joe was a man of strong faith and a devoted member of St. Mary Mother of the Church parish. Over the years, he served on various parish committees, including the building of the church that is used today.

Joe was an avid jogger, running several miles a day well into his 70’s. He had a special place in his heart for good old-fashioned ranching and often quipped that he should have been born in the 1800s.

He eventually bought a small tract of land and raised cattle as a hobby for many years. After retirement from the USDA, Joe worked for a time at Cummings Middle School, where he developed many life-long friendships, and served as a scout and assistant coach for the St. Joseph Bloodhounds football team for many years. Above all, Joe enjoyed spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren.

He was a firm believer in the power of education, and perhaps, what made him the proudest was that his sons and daughter graduated from college.

Joe was predeceased by his loving wife, Lupana; his parents, CPO John P. Tamayo and Guadalupe “Chacha” Tamayo; his sisters Refugia “Cuca” Gallo, and Lupita “Pita” Esparza; and his brother, Lt. Pat Tamayo (BPD).

Joe will be lovingly remembered by his sister, Hortencia “Tencha” (Joe+) Medrano; his sons, Joseph (Julia), Ricardo (Jeanette), and Carlo (Dora) Tamayo; his daughter, Monica (Reichard) Kahle; his grandchildren Jacqueline, Jacob, Joseph Ernest, Anthony Rafael, Diego, Rodrigo, Carlo Jr., Nicholas, and Sara Tamayo; Katherine and Leslie Kahle; Francis and Fernanda Rodriguez; Violeta (Orlando) Rodriguez; and Miguel (Beatriz) Gutierrez.

The family wishes to send a special thank you to the staff at the Fox Hollow Post-Acute, and especially Dora Soto Villarreal, for their care and compassion during Joe’s final days.

Visitation will be held Wednesday, October 20th, from 5 to 8 P.M. at Darling Mouser Funeral Home, with the Rosary to be recited at 7 P.M. Funeral mass will be held Thursday, October 21st at 10 A.M. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, followed by burial at Buena Vista Cemetery. The American Legion Funeral Honor Guard will render military honors at the graveside.

Pallbearers will be Jacob, Joseph Ernest, Anthony Rafael, Carlo Jr., Nicholas, Diego, and Rodrigo Tamayo. Honorary pallbearers will be William Molina and Brother Francis Garza.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Saint Joseph Academy Scholarship Fund, in Memory of Joe and Lupana Tamayo.

You may share your memories of Joe with his family at www.darlingmouser.com

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Darling-Mouser Funeral Home, 945 Palm Blvd., Brownsville, Texas 78520 and 956-546-7111.