The Rev. Canon Rene Francisco Somodevilla

The Rev. Canon René Francisco Somodevilla, 79, died on November 5, 2025 in Dallas, Texas. He spent his last weeks surrounded by family and close friends.
Born on April 14, 1946 in Havana, Cuba, to Dr. Santiago Somodevilla and Mrs. Elvira Somodevilla de Perez, René and his family lived in the Vedado neighborhood of Havana, and his father served as a flight surgeon in the Cuban Air Force. In 1960, following the Cuban Revolution, the family fled Cuba under the guise of visiting family in Miami and began their new life in the United States. René did not return to Cuba until November of 2011, when he traveled with his wife, Nancy Somodevilla, and their children on a church mission trip.
René moved with his family from Miami to Wichita Falls in 1963, where he graduated from Rider High School in 1964 and went on to earn his Bachelors of Science in Sociology at Midwestern State University. He married Lana Diane Moore while at Midwestern in 1968, and she gave him the gift of four wonderful children: Kenneth René Somodevilla, Todd Antonio Somodevilla, Neil Santiago Somodevilla and Alina Somodevilla Williams. He earned his graduate degree in Clinical Social Work from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1972 and after graduation, René was the Coordinator of Outreach Services for Terrell State Hospital for 10 years, coordinating outpatient mental health services through 6 centers in Northeast Texas.
While working in Terrell, René discerned a call to the priesthood in the Episcopal Church and began seminary at the Anglican School of Theology. In 1984 he was ordained as a deacon in the Episcopal Church, then a priest in 1985. He completed his curacy at Church of the Ascension in Dallas. In 1986, he was called as the Rector of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, where he served until 1997. During his time as a priest in the Diocese of Dallas, René served as chaplain at Camp Crucis in Granbury, Texas, as well as a chaplain to junior high and high school retreats. He is remembered by many as one of the only adults they knew who respected the point of view of teenagers. René served as a leader in the Cursillo Renéwal movement throughout Dallas-Fort Worth, offering many weekends to spreading the love of God to all in attendance.
In 1992 René met and married Nancy Arko Nowlin, a speech pathologist working in charter and public schools in Dallas. She shared the gift of her children, Erin Brooke Nowlin and Andrew Edwin Nowlin. Nancy and René moved to Memphis, Tennessee in 1997 when he was called as the Rector of St. Elisabeth's Episcopal Church. He served that congregation until he was called by The Right Reverend Don Johnson to serve as Canon to the Ordinary in the Diocese of West Tennessee and later as Associate Rector of St. Andrew's Collierville.
René retired from the Diocese of West Tennessee in 2013 and returned to Texas, where he was called to be the Interim Canon to the Bishop Pro Tempore in the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas. He later served as a parish priest in several Episcopal congregations in the Dallas area, including Church of the Incarnation and Saint Michael and All Angels. Retirement also gave him the opportunity to spend more time on his lifelong passions of fast cars, working out at the gym with his friends, global travel with Nancy and their families, and antique warplanes. He honored his father and all veterans by volunteering for many years at the Cavanaugh Flight Museum, serving as a docent and helping to restore one of the museum's WWII-era North American B-25J Mitchell bombers.
René was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Dr. S.A. Somodevilla of Dallas. René is survived by his beloved wife of 33 years, Nancy Arko Somodevilla; six children, Kenneth 'Chip' Somodevilla (Gina Lambright), Todd Somodevilla, (Marysia Makowska), Erin Nowlin, Neil Somodevilla (Margaret Somodevilla), Andrew Nowlin (Whitney Nowlin), and Alina Williams (Jared Williams); nine grandchildren, Aaron Somodevilla (Logan Somodevilla), Anna Somodevilla, Elijah Somodevilla, Eloisa Somodevilla, Archer Somodevilla, Brynn Nowlin, Caroline Nowlin, Ryan Nowlin, Palmer Williams, and Rebekah Williams; and two great grandchildren, Isaac Somodevilla and Noah Somodevilla. René leaves behind countless friends and colleagues from Dallas, Memphis, and across the country.
Funeral service will be held at Saint Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church (8011 Douglas Ave. Dallas Texas 75225) on Friday, November 14, 2025 at 10am. A reception will follow at The Lake House Bar & Grill (7510 E. Northwest Highway, Dallas TX 75214).
Memorial donations can be made to the North Texas Food Bank (ntfb.org) or the All Angels Foundation (allangelsfoundation.org).
We invite you to honor René's memory by sharing your favorite stories and cherished moments on his personal memorial page. Your memories and photos can help celebrate the beautiful impact he had on our lives. Click this link to contribute and keep his spirit alive in our hearts. Thank you for being part of this heartfelt tribute.