Alejandro (Alex) Cantú

Alejandro (Alex) Cantu passed away peacefully and surrounded by family in Austin, Texas, on November 14, 2019, from dementia. It has been a long goodbye over the years as he slipped away from his family and friends, who treasure memories of his gentle kindness, one-of-a-kind sense of humor, talent and creativity. Alex was born on October 16, 1945, in Monterrey, Mexico. He was most known­ among his parents, three brothers, sister, and friends for his one-liners (sometimes silly, sometimes brilliant) and endearing absent-mindedness ("Ay, Alejandrito!") He was also known for being among the best soccer players, which led to a soccer scholarship to Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. The family businesses of a printing company and newspaper (El Porvenir) influenced his interest in media, and he chose Ohio University for its marketing and advertising programs. During his junior year, he met fellow student and Athens native Constance (Connie) Midkiff and it was truly love at first sight. On their first date at a concert on the green, they mused about how beautiful their children would be. After marrying, Alex and Connie moved to Monterrey and later to Mexico City where they had their daughters, Angelina (Lili) and Tanya, and Alex began his career at Jose Cuervo Tequila. Several happy years were also spent in Guadalajara, where the family made many life-long friends. A surprising adventure began when Cuervo tapped Alex to open a new Jose Cuervo, International office in San Antonio, Texas. Wanting to try small-town living, the family settled in New Braunfels, Texas, and Alex commuted to San Antonio. Over the course of 20 years, the team he managed grew to over 50 people, all working to launch and market Cuervo around the world. Alex traveled extensively wherever Cuervo was launched, including Europe and Russia, Asia, Australia, and South America—making many friends along the way. Perhaps Alex's favorite and most enduring project was launching Cholula hot sauce in the US, known as "De La Viuda" in Mexico. He oversaw every step of bringing it to market, from testing the new name and commissioning the logo and label illustration, to the advertising campaign and distribution. Most significant in Cholula lore, he bought countless bottles for inspiration and conceived the idea of the wooden cap. His family remembers the many samples he brought home, hoping to find the perfect design. He met much resistance, as the wooden cap was expensive and inconvenient to produce, but he wouldn't move forward without it and that small detail helps to make Cholula distinct and recognizable across the country. Though Cuervo and Cholula are household names largely because of Alex, one of the things he was most known for was his humility. He always gave all the credit to his team and collaborators. He loved promoting and mentoring younger colleagues (men and women equally, back when that was not the norm) and so many of them later sent heartfelt thanks for being "the best mentor and boss I ever had." Alex was the consummate gentleman. People felt they could trust him to do the right thing, as he had an extremely strong sense of ethics. His mentoring also extended to his nieces, nephews and family friends, and he wanted to make sure everyone was taken care of and felt loved. He even generously helped fund the educations of some family members. Though he overcame much trauma in his life, Alex was a wonderful father: always present during the important moments in life, always encouraging and supportive, and always creating memories together such as weekends out and about, travel, and simply lingering after dinner every night to talk. And that love at first sight that Alex and Connie shared never faded: they were forever teased by friends for being so obviously in love, and Alex was known for the occasional big, romantic gesture that completely surprised Connie. Along with consulting work and volunteering as a mentor for SCORE, after his career Alex had more time to devote to his photography and drawing—which were incredible yet seemed to come easy to him. Alex and Connie also traveled, especially to their beloved Estes Park, Colorado, where they loved to hike. And once their granddaughter, Sofia, was born nothing brought Alex more joy than playing with her for hours on end. Even as his dementia took hold, Alex remained the ever kind and caring gentleman and continued to touch so many lives until the end. As he lost his inhibitions, Alex and Connie were able to enjoy dancing together because he was no longer embarrassed, and this gave Connie some moments of unexpected joy in sharing some special moments with him. The family would like to thank all of Alex's caregivers and staff at Silverado (now The Auberge at Onion Creek in Austin.) It was an honor to witness how they cared for him with so much compassion and love. They spoke mostly in Spanish with him, and almost until the end kept him joking and laughing, hugging and dancing. All came by to say tearful goodbyes and share memories, even on their days off. We are happy that his death was so peaceful and quiet, and that he is no longer suffering as he had the last years. Alex is survived by his wife of 50 years, Connie, daughters Lili and Tanya Cantu, sons-in-law Chris Maass and Jeff Hancock, granddaughter Sofia Alexandra Maass, sister Lorena Cantu, brothers Fernando and Ricardo Cantu, and his many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his brother, Rolando and his parents, Gretemaria and Lazaro Cantu.