Jose Arredondo

Jose Arredondo Jr, 90, a lifelong resident of Fort Worth, Texas, passed away at his home on Thursday, January 2, 2025, after living a very long steadfast and resilient life.
Funeral Service: 2:30 p.m. Saturday, January 18, 2025, in Mount Olivet Chapel. Interment: Mount Olivet Cemetery.
Jose was born June 10, 1934, in Fort Worth, Texas, to Maria and Jose Arredondo. He was a proud Marine, Musician, and U.S. Postal Service Worker/Retiree. Jose was a hard worker and great provider of 36 years for his beloved wife, Rose, and their children. He was thankful for all that God had blessed him with and never lost sight of the humble beginnings and struggles that made him. Jose was thankful for being a Catholic and loved his Mexican Heritage. Leaving a legacy of strength and wisdom was his mission. Jose was proud of his Arredondo name and his family.
He was a proud Marine and Korean War Veteran. Jose was organized, disciplined, and punctual. He had an analytical mind and could not tolerate missed opportunities. Jose wasn't a trained builder, yet he could build and fix most anything. He wasn't a trained engineer, yet he could draft technical plans, maps and charts. He was artistic and his writing /printing was exquisite. Jose was smart, gifted, and he liked to learn. He did not waste time on sorrow or dwelling on the past, he picked up and moved on. That was his process. Being a Marine didn't mean he wasn't gentle, because he was. His goal was to help his family by teaching them how to help themselves.
Jose was a surgeon's assistant at St. Joseph's Hospital in Fort Worth. He started out sterilizing equipment, but the nuns noticed his steady hands and offered to send him to medical school. However, life would turn Jose in another direction as his family was growing and school was out of the question.
As a musician, Jose played the trumpet and learned to read music at age nine. He found a love that would be with him for a lifetime. Jose had several bands, the most popular being Orquesta Cardinal and Joe and the Jokers. They traveled from the Valley to Kansas and California to Chicago. They also appeared on Fiesta Mexicana morning show and recorded with El Zarape Records and shared in the early days what would come to be known as Tejano Music.
Jose was a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service for 50 years before retiring. One of his proudest moments was when he and his son, Vincent (poster child for MDA) represented the NALC in the annual fundraiser. Jose loved Vincent, he was his hero. He believed that if his son, who suffered in silence, did not complain, why should he. In 1987, Jose lost Vincent to complications of MD and in 1989, he lost his Rose to cancer, he was 55 years old.
After retirement, Jose went back to the music. He formed a few bands and worked security at Billy Bobs, and he never stopped moving. Right up to the last months of his life, he was remodeling his house, doing yardwork with his sons and taking walks. He was not a quitter and believed in living life for as long as God allowed.
He met Connie Monreal 20 years ago in Desperados Dance Club. Meeting her brought him back to life. When he wasn't working on home projects, or meeting old friends for breakfast, he was dancing with Connie.
Jose had a very fruitful life from beginning to end and he was blessed with the love of two good women...Rose and Connie.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Jose Sr. and Maria Jesusa (Torres) Arredondo; beloved spouse, Rose (Capetillo) Arredondo; son, Vincent Ray Arredondo; daughter, Mary Ellen "Helen" Arredondo; sister, Elvira (Arredondo) Aguirre and husband, Francisco; brother-in-law, Umberto "Bert" Linaris; and great-niece, Adriane Marie Arredondo.
Jose is survived by his children, Jose III, Cynthia, Michael, Chris (Teresa), and Ruben Arredondo; grandchildren, Eric, Rick (Lisa), Angel (Joe Rey Villavicencio), and David (Lysette); great-grandchildren, Alexis, Abigail, Thomas, Abraham, Julian, Nathan, Alyssa, Joe Rey, Lily and Leilani; sister, Delfina (Arredondo) Linaris; nephews, Jesse Arredondo (Linda), Henry Arroyo (Jeana), Rick Linaris, Michael Linaris (Samantha), and Angel Torres (Minnie) ; nieces, Virginia Butcher Ramirez, and Esther (Linaris) Hill (Mark); the Capetillo family; the Sierra family; the Rivas family; various great-nieces and great-nephews; extended family; companion, Feliza "Connie" Monreal and her sons: Oscar (Martha), Larry (Janet), Leo and Michael; the Monreal family; the Villanueva family; and many other friends he met along the way.
Memorial donations may be made to https://www.mda.org/
MOUNT OLIVET CHAPEL
Greenwood Funeral Homes - Cremation
2301 N. Sylvania Avenue, Fort Worth, TX 76111
817-831-0511