Ramon "Ray" Quijano

Ramon Quijano, born in Laredo, Texas on November 15, 1934, was son of the late Ramon Acosta Quijano and Eulalia Martinez Quijano.

Ray was a soldier from the sky. He was a paratrooper counted among the Green Berets of the United States Army Special Forces. He entered the service as a private at age 20, and he rose to the rank of colonel by the end of his 35-year military career.

He was deployed in places around the globe, including Vietnam, the Dominican Republic, Iran, Germany, Thailand, Panama, and throughout the United States of America.

His most prized commendation came at the hands of the King of Spain. In U.S. and Spanish joint training exercises, Ray personally demonstrated the Fulton Surface-To-Air Recovery System, which enables a C 130 Hercules to hoist a person from the ground to the plane while flying overhead. The King awarded Ray “The Cross of Aeronautical Merit” for his gallantry in the air.

Ray was a 1972 graduate of Auburn University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. In 1984, he graduated from the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. After his military service, Ray worked for the Texas Department of Public Safety for 10 years.

Ray is survived by his wife, Susan Reglin Quijano; daughter Marilyn Ward and her husband Scott; son Edward Ramon Quijano and his wife Diane; granddaughter Mercedes Ward (Chris) Norton; grandson Jacob (Victoria) Ward; and two great-grandchildren. Ray was predeceased by his younger brother, Gilberto Quijano.

You may share fond memories and expressions of sympathy for the Quijano family at www.cookwaldenfuneralhome.com.

“Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle.”

Psalm 144:1