Ignacio Tavares Zuniga

Odessa - Our Daddy, Ignacio Zuniga, went to be with the Lord Tuesday, January 13th, after suffering a stroke a week earlier. He was born in Baranco Azul, Chihuahua, Mexico to Juan & Lucia Monje Zuniga on February 1, 1937. At the age of 4, his father passed away & then around the age 6, his mother passed away. His aunt (Isidra Zuniga-whom he called "Mina") then took responsibility for him & his two sisters. He was raised in Valle Nuevo, Mulato, Mexico which lies directly across the border from Redford, Texas. His aunts were thrifty & very industrious; a trait he quickly learned from them & began to apply in his own life. While in 2nd grade, Ignacio decided that school was not for him. He left school & began working as much as a child his age could: he would gather & sell eggs & help work in the fields. He eventually found a farm to work on where he helped handle farm animals. This experience would later serve him as he worked with an older cousin who owned a large farm in Redford, Texas. Around 1957, he met Dolores Sosa Baesa (our mother) in Ojinaga, Mexico & were soon, thereafter, married on May 26, 1959. They then moved to Stephenville, Texas for two years where they then had their firstborn son, Adrian, in 1960. In 1962, they decided to move to Odessa where they then had their second son, Marcos, the following year in 1963. In 1967, they welcomed their first daughter & final child, Christina.

Although originally trained in farming, Ignacio decided to venture out into residential painting where he eventually became a master painter for over 60 years. Although our mother was the glue that held our family together, our dad was the driving force of our family. He was a great provider for the family & an amazing innovator: he was a very good problem-solver. We believe this skill was a direct result of him having to learn how to live on his own & become self-sufficient due to having become an orphan at such a young age. After his children came to know the Lord, Ignacio & Dolores helped them start two churches. Although they didn't know the Lord when these churches were birthed, both Ignacio & Dolores came to know Jesus as their Lord & Savior & began to have a loving relationship with Him. In our Dad's later years, his love for the Lord grew deeply: he loved going to church & reading his Bible & Christian literature. Most of his conversations would usually lead to talking about Jesus! He loved his wife, children, grandchildren & great-grandchildren. He was so proud of his kids!

Ignacio is preceded in death by his wife, Dolores, his parents & his siblings. He is survived by his sons Adrian (Asucena), Marcos (Letticia) & his daughter, Christina; his grandchildren: Yvette, Joshua, Elsa Marie (Isaac), Marc, Jon & Jeremiah; and his great-grandchildren: Yael & Isaiah.

We will miss him, but we know we will see him & our momma again in heaven!

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