Alfredo C. Flores

Alfredo Cruz Flores, cherished father, husband, brother, uncle, cousin and friend, passed away peacefully at home on Saturday, August 7, 2021, alongside members of his family and caregivers, who became adopted members of the Flores family after years of providing him with loving care and companionship.

Alfredo was born in 1936 to Carlos and Maria Manuela Flores. He and his siblings—Carlos, Ramon, Antonio, Carmen, and Albert—lived out many anecdote-worthy adventures and made many special memories while growing up in central El Paso and Sunset Heights. After leaving Cathedral High School, he attended a Catholic seminary in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Soon after, Alfredo went on a cross country trip, became a naval reservist, and lived out other adventures before the native El Pasoan returned to settle down and stay in the area for good after meeting and marrying Estella Garcia, with whom he had three children: Robbie, Tricia, and Mike. Besides his three surviving children, Alfredo is also survived by his second wife of more than 40 years, Sherleen Lockhart Hervey Flores; his siblings, Antonio, Carmen, and Albert; as well as countless cousins, nieces, nephews and other members of his extensive extended family—which aside from the Flores include the Gomez, Velarde, Lightbourn, Dwyer, Samaniego and French families. He is preceded in death by his beloved grandparents, Jose and Josefina Flores; parents, Carlos and Maria Manuela; brothers, Manuel, Carlos, and Ramon; first wife, Estella; as well as many cherished aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.

Most people that knew him would undoubtedly agree that Alfredo was a charismatic charmer who could ALWAYS get a smile or a laugh out of any and everybody around him. Despite having many great qualities, Alfredo’s sense of humor was probably his greatest gift. Even in the worst of times, he could always make one laugh with an unexpected funny face, gesture, or utterance. Even the most serious, stern person or member of the family couldn’t resist his impeccable comedic timing and would find themselves laughing out loud despite the fact that they usually never even cracked a smile.

Although he had various interests and hobbies, he was especially passionate about his family’s genealogy. He enjoyed discovering about his ancestors’ well-documented history. He particularly enjoyed learning about their pioneering roles in the founding of San Antonio as well as El Paso and Ciudad Juárez. He was extremely proud of his ancestors’ legacy in being involved in the creation of these cities. In San Antonio, he was pleased to discover that his ancestors made him a direct descendant of the Spanish Canary Islanders who traveled across the ocean to found the city of San Antonio. They were among the first civilians to build near the already established Spanish presidios. The Catholic church they built there, San Fernando Cathedral, was founded on March 9, 1731, by a group of 15 families who came from the Canary Islands at the invitation of King Phillip the V of Spain. In fact, San Fernando Cathedral happens to be the oldest, continuously functioning religious community in the State of Texas. As far as El Paso is concerned, he was pleasantly surprised to discover an ancestral link to almost all the area’s founding families—including the Magoffins, the Harts, the Ascarates, the Stephensons, and the Siquieros--as named by C.L. Sonnichsen in his well-known and highly regarded book written about this area’s history, The Pass of the North: Four Centuries on the Rio Grande. Once Alfredo discovered this information, he nominated and was successful in having ancestors inscribed into The El Paso County Historical Society’s distinguished rolls known as The El Paso Hall of Honor. Coincidentally, as was the case in San Antonio, his great-grandparents, Hugh and Juana Maria Stephenson, were the first to establish a Catholic church on this side of the border. In fact, Alfredo’s great-grandmother, Juana Maria Ascarate de Stephenson, was the first person to be buried in what is now Concordia Cemetery at said church, which was erected by his great-grandparents on their property. At the time, San Jose de Concordia el Alto Church was built on part of an extensive land grant that had been issued to the Ascarate family by the Spanish government.

Alfredo will live on in the hearts and minds of those who were blessed to know and love him. The Flores family wishes to express their sincere gratitude and appreciation to all those that surrounded Alfredo with love throughout his lifetime. We especially thank those of you who prayed for, cared for, visited, called, and comforted him the last few years of his life.

Despite receiving wonderful care from countless many in the medical field, the Flores family in particular is grateful to and appreciates all that his personal caregivers, Rosy and Betty, did for Alfredo. Their dedication, care, love and devotion has surely earned each of these two amazing angels on Earth a one-way ticket to Heaven. Alfredo was blessed to have had these two women be in his life and at his side during his twilight years. Words cannot adequately convey or express either Alfredo’s or our family’s eternal heartfelt appreciation.

A service will be held at St. Matthew Catholic Church on Friday, September 3, 2021, at 11:00 a.m. with a reception for family and friends to follow. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Cathedral High School.