Alfonso J. Zuniga Jr.

Alfonso J. Zuniga, Jr., Al or Poncho, to his family and friends, was born on August 6, 1932, to Alfonso Jesus Zuniga and Conchita Quiroga in Laredo, Texas. He was the eleventh child of thirteen and as the family grew, a 2nd story was added on to the house. It was on the open-air porch of the 2nd floor that the six boys slept so that the seven girls could sleep inside.

His parents’ Catholic faith never left him. His mom stayed home and often had the younger siblings kneeling and praying the rosary together for the older brothers who had gone to war. Every time we visited she gave us her special blessing, rosary in hand, before we departed for home.

By the time Alfonso came along she had her hands full. However, being originally from Mexico and living on its border offered the large family the luxury of hiring many helping hands. So Al was raised by his nanny until he was about seven years old when his brother, Oscar, 10 years his senior, took him under his wing.

During this time, when not in school, life was all about the outdoors. The brothers developed a unique whistle to signal each other of their whereabouts which he continued to use affectionately with his children. Camping and fishing on the Rio Grande River every weekend, palling around the neighborhood with their BB guns to see what they could shoot at, or terrorizing the neighbors’ cats were favorite activities. He grew in marksmanship and could always hit his target with his slingshot, leather sling, bow & arrows, lure and rifle. His reputation as a marksman carried well into his 70’s when he would be called upon regularly by his neighbors to “take care of” the “pests”. Lacking any interested daughters, he passed on his hunting and fishing skills to several of his nephews and grandchildren.

Education was important in the Zuniga household. While at St. Joseph’s Academy, Al’s favorite subject was math and he was treasurer of his senior class. At 16 years of age he graduated and followed in his brothers’ footsteps to attend the University of Texas at Austin where he received his degree in Civil Engineering. He used to say that all he took with him when he left for college was a slide rule and an extra pair of blue jeans. He returned home where he had been courting his future wife, Dora Alicia Lopez and they married on June 20, 1952 in Laredo. Shortly after, he was drafted into the US Army and served in Korea for two years, returning to meet his first daughter, Cynthia, who was born while he was away.

After discharge, Al and Dora moved to Houston, Texas where he took a job with Stubbs-Overbeck and Associates, and his second daughter, Judith, was born. From there, his job moved him to Monterrey, Mexico to work for one year and a third daughter, Adriana, was born in Laredo. They returned to Houston and had three more daughters, Theresa, Suzanne, and Cecilia. Al spent the next years working hard, following the example from his father’s strong work ethic. He advanced his career designing steel buildings at American Steel Buildings and later Midwest Steel. In his 50’s he started his own consulting/design firm called Hybrid Structures and was known for his expertise to design challenging projects with extraordinarily large spans, complex connections, and other unusual design parameters. He developed and often incorporated his own box beam design

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Later in life he designed a “modular hex house” that could withstand hurricane force winds, be built on any terrain, and erected easily and efficiently. He built one for himself at Lake Livingston where he could enjoy it with family and friends and fish every week. He usually caught white bass, and was known for his excellent ceviche and fish fries.

Al was also known for his joke telling and sense of adventure and fun, making sure his girls were introduced to the names of trees, plants, flowers, birds (and more), fishing, hunting, target practice, water and snow skiing, and he even bought us a mini bike. This carried through his “grandpa” years as he continued to have pillow fights, snowball fights, and play tickle monster with his eight grandchildren, while at the same time instilling a sense of respect and obedience. More recently, he was blessed with three great-grandchildren.

He took time to enjoy his passion for the outdoors which had been fostered by his brother and mentor, Oscar. He and his brothers, and several nephews, shared many memories well into their adult lives, taking hunting trips to Colorado and fishing together. Finding ways to prepare physically for these trips was always of interest to the neighbors as they would spot him jogging with a backpack of rocks on his back, and it instilled in his daughters the importance of minding our health. When he was 60, he backpacked eight miles up a mountain to fish and camp. When he was 70 he zip-lined through a Costa Rican forest.

In 2016, Al retired at 83 years old and moved with Dora to the Overlook at Morningside Ministries in Boerne, Texas. There, he made many new friends that brought him comfort through the loss of his wife in 2017 and beyond. During these years he also continued spending time at the ranch in Bandera.

The family would like to thank the staff at Morningside Ministries Menger Springs for your caring service, the community for your warmth and love, and his wonderful caregivers, Clara, Leola, Eliza and Leticia, for their kindness and attentiveness which were a blessing.

He was much loved and will be missed!

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