Rodolfo R. Flores, 90, was taken to his Father's celestial kingdom on January 29, 2022, alongside his beloved wife, Dolores and his parents Nick and Cuca Flores. An attorney by profession and "tacinque" (sheep shearer) by trade in the "trasquila" industry for many years, Mr. Flores learned the highest of work ethics. He never gave way to his exhaustion or other distractions; work was an obligation.
As a young man, studying at St. Mary's University, he traveled back to Uvalde every weekend to earn his $45/month rent and board while in school. His efforts to make a decent living extended to playing the saxophone in a band named La Orquesta Social (The Socialables) in Uvalde too. Upon graduation with a law degree in 1953, he proposed to and married his beloved Dolores.
Their only son, Rudy Jr. remembers them as a "romantic" couple, particularly his father who would always leave "love" notes all over the house to remind his wife of his undying devotion. Rudy & "Lola", as she was called, often traveled together visiting all over Europe, Canada, Mexico, South America and the Aloha state, keeping their relationship closer each passing year. Rudy cared for his wife during her last years with Alzheimers disease, even taking her to work with him to keep an eye on her. Rudy Jr. described his father as a "perfect" dad, saying he lost "his best friend."
Mr. Flores was a physically healthy man all of his life, preferring to eat homemade meals such as his favorite "sopita de fideo" (vermicelli w/meat) with homemade flour tortillas or hamburgers. But you could also find him and Lola having dinner at Kettle Restaurant at times, always sharing time after a hard day's work.
One of his favorite sayings was "hacero con hacero no se hace nada", meaning cast iron against cast iron can't hurt anything. He often said this when he would fall, joking about his hard head & floor making contact with out any damage. Bill Kessler Jr. knew the light side of Mr. Flores as a friend and personal attorney. He recalls Mr. Flores working on the second floor in the old Suttle & Kessler Law Firm with the late Bill Kessler, Sr. One day a new client came in looking for the attorney, Rodolfo Flores who happened to be scrubbing the floor in his office, thinking he was a custodian. On another occasion, Mr. Kessler was leaving Mr. Flores' office Mr. Flores slopped off the ladder and fell down. He suffered no injuries & both started talking away for a good 30 minutes as if nothing had happened while Mr. Flores still on the floor. The conversation was that interesting like every other they shared, including the outdoors. Billy, Jr. was grateful to Mr. Flores for attending his 50th Anniversary party in his office a few weeks ago where they continued their unending visits. "I will miss him terrible," Mr. Kessler remarked when he heard about his death, "but I feel the more enriched having known a man of such integrity, humor and respect for work. Few have this type of a bond."
Pura Ortiz, Mr. Flores' secretary for over 34 years remembers him as a highly respected man. She saw his good heart in his work, often doing pro bono work and offering creative avenues to resolve people's problems. He never rejected anyone who came to see him, perhaps, Pura said, "because he suffered so young, losing his father at a tender age. Pura recalls no one ever leaving his office dissatisfied or hanging their heads in despair. Mr. Flores offered solutions, told jokes or a funny story to make his clients understand it was not the end of the world. According to Pura, he worried about people who couldn't make ends meet or struggled with daily issues that had solutions. For example, Mr. Flores loved SWTJC because it gave those students who couldn't afford to travel or pay college expenses to stay in his hometown of Uvalde. His mission was to help others, nothing closer than living his faith by practicing it. She would jokingly call him "the eternal man" as the Marvel characters portray heroes since he claimed he would never die. One thing for sure, Pura says, "he will never be forgotten by 'the least of his brothers' or his professional colleagues.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Rushing Estes Knowles Mortuary with a Catholic funeral mass starting at 10 a.m., Friday, February 11, 2022, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church followed by internment at the Hillcrest Cemetery. A rosary is scheduled at 7 p.m., Thursday, February 10, 2022 with public viewing starting at 4 p.m. Mr. Flores is survived by his son, Rudy Jr., wife Diana Uriegas Flores and his only two grandchildren Monica and Rudy Ill called lovingly "mis hijos"(my children) by the late Flores.
