Antonio Riojas

Antonio C. Riojas

May 4, 1931 — October 30, 2025

Antonio C. Riojas went home to be with his Lord and Savior on October 30, 2025, at the age of 94.

Those left to cherish his memory include his daughters, Rosaura (Abel) Salinas, Rosalva Turincio of Corpus Christi, Roselia (Glen) Searcy, and Roselma (Gilbert) Rios of Taft; his sons, Rene (Ana) Riojas of Plano and Robaldo (Raquel) Riojas of Taft; 20 grandchildren, 42 great-grandchildren,10 great-great-grandchildren, and one on the way.

Antonio was born in Taft, Texas on May 4, 1931, the fourth child of Marcos T. and Virginia C.Riojas. He grew up among four brothers and two sisters.

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Antonia R. Riojas; his parents; brothers Salome Salazar, Marcos Riojas, Donaciano Riojas, and Alfredo Riojas; sisters Juanita Salazar and Carmen Tamayo; granddaughter Rosalva Hinojosa; son-in-law Arturo Turincio; and great-grandsons Xavier Robert Lopez and Gilbert “Lil G” Anthony Rios.

Antonio attended Taft schools through the 8th grade at which time he left to help support his family after his father’s illness. During school, he played football with the Taft Greyhounds and baseball with a local church team. His passion for baseball never faded, he proudly played as a catcher with the Old Timers baseball team each year. Grandpa lovingly watched the volleyball games his granddaughter Becky coached and never missed a chance to give her pointers afterward. She affectionately called him her “assistant coach.” He later worked part-time at a local restaurant and at the Reynolds Plant until he was drafted into the U.S. Army on November 13, 1952. He received basic, infantry, and weapons training at Ft.Bliss in El Paso, Texas, before being deployed to Korea on May 10, 1953. He served with the 21st AAAW Battalion Artillery unit as a squad leader in charge of the M-16 half-track with four .50 caliber machine guns mounted in a revolving turret for one year, four months, and twenty days. He was discharged as a Corporal on September 16, 1954, and returned home with military honors.

After his service, he returned to school and took classes at Del Mar College in upholstery and auto mechanics while working as a foreman for a construction company, Lloyd W. Richardson. Antonio worked for many years at Lloyd W. Richardson as a foreman until his retirement. Before his discharge, he asked his parents to make arrangements to go and ask for the hand in marriage of his longtime girlfriend of five years, Antonia Rodriguez. They were married on October 17,1954.

Antonio enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve on November 13, 1954, with the rank of SFC, serving until September 17, 1966. In November 1966, he enlisted in the National Guard Reserve, where he became a Platoon Sergeant (E-7) until his retirement on May 13, 1983. He proudly served his country for over 32 years in both active and reserve duty. His decorations include the Korean Service Medal with one bronze star, SFC Star, National Defense Service Medal, and United Nations Service Medal. 

He was also deeply involved in his community. Antonio served as Scout Master for Boy Scout Troop 343, coached a girls’ baseball team, member of the Taft Greyhound band boosters and was a long-standing member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars 9318 (VFW), where he served as Commander and in other positions. A member of the Knights of Columbus since 2001, he achieved Fourth Degree status. He also served as an usher and Eucharistic Minister at Immaculate Conception Church in Taft and was a member of the parish council, helping organize parish festivals for many years. Alongside his wife, he ran a successful catering business serving weddings and Quinceañeras.

On June 2, 2017, Antonio was honored to receive an honorary high school diploma during Taft High School’s graduation ceremony at the Taft Greyhound Football Stadium. It was a proud moment for the whole family, especially since five of his great-grandchildren also graduated this year from different high schools in Corpus Christi and Pasadena.

Grandpa was the perfect example of selflessness—always putting family first. He was a very driven person with a work ethic and drive that he was very modest about. A devoted husband, he was blessed with 69 wonderful years of marriage to his wife, Antonia, sharing a lifetime of love and memories together. Their love story began many years ago and grew stronger with each passing day. For 69 years, they stood side by side through every season of life, showing what true devotion means. Their marriage was a testament to true devotion; they took their marriage vows to heart and lived them every day. Their love was a blessing to their children and grandchildren.

The same discipline that made him an exceptional soldier made him an extraordinary grandfather. He had a way of making each grandchild feel like they were his favorite. He was the family storyteller. His stories were more than entertainment—they were family history, filled with lessons, love, and laughter. Through his animated retellings, we learned about great-grandparents we never met, understood traditions we’d always taken for granted and discovered that every seemingly ordinary person has extraordinary stories tucked away. He told those stories with perfect detail, so he taught us about our roots, our values, and the strength that runs through generations.

Grandpa’s workshop was his sanctuary, filled with tools and projects in various stages of completion. He could fix or build anything, and somehow make it look effortless. He enjoyed his weekly shopping trips with his daughters to craft stores to restock supplies. He loved making all different types of crafts, especially religious pieces and took joy in sharing them with others. He started with little, but through faith, determination, and hard work, he ended up with everything that truly matters—a loving family, the respect of his community, and the satisfaction of a life well-lived. He was lovingly known as “Gpa” throughout the community. His greatest project was our family. He laid the foundation with love, built the walls with values, and topped it off with traditions that will continue to shelter us.

So much about our father, grandfather was larger than life to most everyone who knew him. He lived a full life. He loved our mother, grandmother and he loved us kids. He lived in a way that made the ordinary seem extraordinary, always with love and gentleness and always with the strength of our Lord guiding him. We find comfort in knowing that Grandpa’s legacy lives on through the lessons he taught, the love he shared, and the memories we’ll cherish forever. He was and is our Hero.

A special thank you to Alma Moreno for the love, care, and dedication you gave our father. Your selflessness and devotion were a blessing to our family.

To Nelda Garces, thank you for bringing warmth and compassion into our father’s life. Your kindness, patience, and friendship meant so much to him and to us.Our father looked forward to his treatments, not only for the care he received but because of the warmth and kindness shown to him by everyone at the dialysis center, Fresenius Kidney Care. The family extends heartfelt thanks to the doctors, nurses, and staff for their compassion and devotion.

A Celebration of Life and visitation will be held at Charlie Marshall Funeral Home in Aransas

Pass, Texas, on Thursday, November 6, 2025, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., with a Holy Rosary recited at 7:00 p.m. Funeral Mass will be held on Friday, November 7, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Church, 120 E Escobedo St #2633, Taft, TX 78390, with burial to follow at Coastal Bend Veterans Cemetery.