Jose Lopez

Jose “Joe” Lopez was born April 20,1935 in Hillsboro Texas to parents Tomas and Josefina Lopez. A year and a half later the family of three became four when Joe's younger brother Manuel was born. Soon the family left Hillsboro and moved to Mexico, where Jose received a private school education. However, a few years later the family returned to the U.S. At the age of 13 Joe left school and began to work after his family experienced financial difficulties. He was able to learn the trade of auto body repair, a skill he further honed in the US Army. Once discharged, he worked for Edwards Ford before starting his own business, AutoCraft Paint and Body. He was the owner and operator of the thriving business for over 40 years. Before joining the army, Joe was the secretary of a local Hispanic federation that organized neighborhood celebrations. He met his wife of 58 years, Irma, at one of the meetings. In 1958, after two years of dating, the couple married in haste in a courthouse ceremony at Joe's insistence because he did not want to return from his peacetime deployment to Korea without having secured a life with his beloved Irma. Joe returned to the states in 1960, and he and Irma settled into a small Oak Cliff home which they spent many years transforming into their very own. He was proud of the home he built with Irma, as well as the lakefront property they later purchased in Winnsboro, Texas, where they would often weekend. There, Joe cultivated a highly productive garden, and frequently gifted people with the fruits and vegetables of his labor. Also an avid fisherman, he often left before dawn to fish Lake Winnsboro in his bass boat, Black Beauty. In addition to gardening and fishing, Joe enjoyed hunting. Once he even brought a deer to the Oak Cliff home he shared with his wife and flung it onto the dining room table. Joe is survived by wife Irma; children Manuel, David, Adrianne, Irma and Jose Jr. He is also survived by grandchildren Kelly, Amy, Brian, Riqui, Noelle, Stephen, Joseph and Daniel, as well as many great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by Brother Manuel Carlos Lopez. The family would like to thank Canaan Home Healthcare Agency and home healthcare provider Linda Henderson for their assistance with his care. Visitation will be held Sunday January 29, 2017 from 12:00 pm till 4:00 pm at Gonzalez Funeral Home. Please join the family for a 9:30 am Funeral Service on Monday January 30, 2017 at Gonzalez Funeral Home. Interment will follow at DFW National Cemetery.