After 74 years of life well lived, Victor Aguilar Bañuelos passed away on January 19th, 2021 from complications due to Covid-19.
Victor was born in San Benito (Bonito), TX into a large, hardworking family. He grew up in the La Palma neighborhood of San Benito, attended Fred Booth Elementary, and San Benito High School in the 1960s, where he met many of his lifelong friends. During the Vietnam conflict, he was drafted into the US Army at the age of 19. In 1968 Victor was honorably discharged from the Army. He then moved to Chicago, IL, where he worked in construction and attended nearly every Cubs home game that season. He returned to San Benito and enrolled at Texas Southmost College (TSC) and later Texas A&I University. At TSC, he met his wife-to-be, Maria Padilla Treviño, and on many occasions over the rest of his life, he wondered how he landed such a knockout. Victor laid his roots in the Rio Grande Valley, where he enjoyed a successful career as a registered land surveyor eventually establishing his own company, Centerline Surveying.
Victor was a proud, season ticket holding Texas Longhorns football fan, making trips to Austin to tailgate and catch games as often as he could. On Friday nights in the fall, Victor and Maria could be found in a stadium somewhere enjoying Texas high school football. He faithfully followed Duke Basketball, leading many to suspect a secret bromance between him and Coach K.
Victor loved music. The soundtrack of his life would be an eclectic mix of Elvis, The Texas Tornados, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Pedro Infante, Simon and Garfunkel, Marco Antonio Solis, The Beatles, Freddy Fender, The Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, and Gilberto Perez.
Victor was a born learner and avid reader. He had a passion for history and was known to stop and read each historical marker on every trail he walked – often at the expense of his impatient family. He completed the Brownsville Herald Crossword Puzzle in what seemed like 5 minutes. His natural curiosity of the world made life an adventure – and, despite humble beginnings, Victor managed to get a few stamps on his passport.
Victor will be remembered for his big heart, quick (often off-kilter) wit, and his frank assessment of any situation.
Victor was not impressed by material wealth – his treasures were his relationships with family and friends. By his measure, he was a rich man.
Victor is preceded in death by his parents Jose and Emilia, his brothers Polo, Rogerio, Alberto, and Jose, and his sister Berta Ramos (Julian). Victor will be missed dearly by his wife of 47 years, Maria, and his children Marko Treviño, Monica Treviño, Cristina Bañuelos, Polo Bañuelos, and Victor Bañuelos as well as his little sisters, Adela Bañuelos, Blanca Morales, and Linda Bañuelos, his sister-in-law Hilda Bañuelos and brother-in-law Antonio Treviño. Victor was lovingly known as “Grumpy Grandpa,” and will be greatly missed by his grandchildren; Gabrielle Bates, Nichole Bates, Victoriano Treviño, Ashlynn Treviño, Victoria Bañuelos, Josiah Treviño, Taylor Bañuelos, Joaquin Treviño, Cristian Bañuelos, Alessandra Bañuelos, and Kailey Bañuelos. Numerous nieces, nephews and cousins and dear friends will miss his pleasant company.
Victor was a strong proponent of education and was a champion of the underdog. The Victor Bañuelos Memorial Fund has been created in his honor and will support the educational endeavors of local students through college scholarships. In lieu of flowers, his family asks that you contribute to this fund.