René A. Ruiz, Sr.

René A. Ruiz, Sr., was born in Guatemala City on a beautiful December day in 1922 to Matilde Segura La Parra and Arcadio Ruiz. Young René adored his mother, and his childhood days can be best described as both serious and adventurous. His parents knew that of all the siblings, René was dutiful and would be the one to accomplish any task without fail. As a young man, René worked in his dad’s car repair shop and one of his hobbies was driving his dad’s extensive collection of classic cars. René admired and respected his father. The time spent with his dad cultivated a hands-on manner that would stay with René for his entire life.

Hard work, determination, and an engineering mind characterized young René as he traveled several times to the United States as a recipient of engineering and flight instruction scholarships. Later young René attended technical training seminars at Pratt-Whitney in Hartford, Connecticut, for specialized piston engine maintenance; attended Georgetown University; and attended flight school in Memphis, Tennessee. Among his many notable accomplishments, he obtained an Industrial Engineer degree which he used to establish diverse factories and installed the mini train at the La Aurora Zoo in Guatemala City. As commercial pilot he worked for KLM and Delta airlines.

After completing his studies in the United States and obtaining his commercial pilot’s license, René returned to Guatemala City, where he eventually played an important role in establishing and naming Aviateca, the national airline for Guatemala. As fate would have it, on a very special day while driving his convertible near the airport in Guatemala City, René met Lydia – the lovely lady that would become René’s lifelong friend and wife. In time, René and Lydia would have five children- Yvonne, Vivian, Nancy, Priscilla, and René Jr.; four grandchildren- Alex, Giulianna, Jai, and Jovian; and two great-grandchildren- Ché and Tommy. Nancy is married to Luis; Priscilla is married to Amando; René Jr., is married to Purvi; and Alex is married to Lauren. René is also survived in Guatemala by his sister, Amelia viuda de Castro and her family.

René never forgot his love for his home country, but he had an immense respect and admiration for the United States because it is the country where he chose to raise his family and pursue his lifelong dreams in aviation. René brought his family to Houston in 1969 where he piloted turboprop airplanes and helicopters and had a long and successful career in aviation. He obtained a Master’s degree of Aero Space Engineering, was a flight instructor, and worked on special assignments for NASA and Lockheed Martin. He retired as Chief Inspector from Beechcraft Corporation. An avid learner and inventor throughout his lifetime, René used his applied mechanical engineering abilities to obtain United States patents. Through his engineering knowledge, he taught his children many invaluable, lifelong, practical survival skills.

René was a humble and unassuming gentleman who lived a remarkable life, one that inspired many. It was the simple things in life that he never took for granted, often commenting how fortunate and thankful he was that “God loved him and his family so much”. Above all, René was a man of strong faith and had a grand reverence for God. René dearly loved his wife and family. As the night comes, and we look at distant stars, let us in the stillness of the night remember and honor René by looking at life through the eyes of love, commitment and compassion.