Javier was born on March 31, 1939, at Park Place Hospital, the son of Jose and Virginia de la Isla.
A native Houstonian, he attended Milby High School and met the love of his life-Obdulia (Lula) Gomez-at a League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) meeting. They married upon graduation and shared 63 years of marriage.
Javier loved his country and served in the United States Marine Corps during the Bay of Pigs Invasion. He was honorably discharged in 1962.
At the age of 7, Javier started his first job selling single copies of the Houston Press. The paper sold for 5 cents and he would receive 2.5 cents per copy. He worked there until the last day of publication after the paper sold to the Houston Chronicle in 1964.
While working for the Houston Press, Javier’s social worldview was indelibly influenced by staff writer Sig Byrd. His column-The Stroller”-inspired Javier’s lifelong admiration and celebration of working-class heroes.
Javier’s love for the newspaper business never ceased; he was a daily reader and life-long subscriber to the Houston Chronicle. In fact, the book Houston Through the Years (115 Years of Telling the Story of the Bayou City) remains on his coffee table.
In 1980, Javier became Sales Supervisor for one of the nation’s largest Anheuser-Busch distributorships -Southwest Distributing Co., Inc. There he enjoyed many years of bringing people together and would often proclaim, “My job is to facilitate human connection”. Decades later he would proudly claim that beer is the original social network and has been bringing people together for thousands of years.
Javier’s career at the distributorship not only allowed him to explore the many facets of his beloved city but also afforded him the opportunity to intermingle with the entire social strata of Houston-from the perennially thirsty cantina patrons off Navigation Blvd to the PGA elite at the Houston Open.
After many years of successful sales growth, celebratory functions, and muchas cervezas, he next transitioned into working for the Harris County Toll Road Authority. He enjoyed working for the county so much that he continued his employment 19 years past retirement.
Javier possessed a deep admiration for the Houston Astros and Houston Texans. He so wanted to be part of the exhilarating team spirit that he worked part-time for both organizations for over 20 years. For Javier, merely walking into Minute Maid Park or Reliant Stadium was pure sanctuary.
But the greatest love of Javier’s life was his family. Having three girls and one boy, he attended countless soccer, softball, and football games throughout the years and especially loved coaching Pony League baseball.
In the mid-eighties, Javier converted countless spools of 8mm film of family vacations and events into VHS format and would tear up every time he watched them. The same tears appeared when he converted the spools into DVD many years later.
Javier was a devout Catholic and lifelong member of Holy Ghost Catholic Church where he was a proud founding member of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Society.
Javier is preceded in death by his parents, Jose and Virginia de la Isla; his brother Jose de la Isla III; Minnie de la Isla (brother George’s wife), niece Regina de la Isla, and grandson Bryson King.
Javier is survived by his wife, Lula de la Isla (Gomez); his daughter and son-in-law Melinda and Brett King; their son Travis and his wife Casey; his son David and ex-daughter-in-law Teresa, and their two children Gabriela and Mateo; his daughter and son-in-law Diane and Steve Szanto; his daughter Deborah; and his great-granddaughters Evelyn Miranda King and Joanna Avery King
He is also survived by his brother Jaime E. de la Isla and his children Jaime Alejandro, Cristina, and Amaris; and his youngest brother George and his children Angela and Brianna.
A wake and rosary will be held at 6:00pm-8:00pm (Rosary beginning at 7:00pm) on September 28th at Earthman Bellaire Funeral Home-4525 Bissonnet St. Bellaire, TX 77401. A Funeral Mass will be held at 10:00 am on September 29th at Holy Ghost Catholic Church, 6921 Chetwood Dr. Houston, TX 77081. A reception will follow. Javier will be buried with full military honors at 1:00 pm on September 29th at Forest Park Lawndale Houston, TX 77023.
In remembrance of Javier's life, the family asks that any charitable donations be made to Holy Ghost Catholic School. 6920 Chimney Rock Rd Houston, Texas, 77081. 713-668-5327
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.earthmanbellaire.com for the de la Isla family.
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