Rey Ibarra

Rey Ibarra, born on January 30, 1955 in San Antonio, Texas, passed away on July 18, 2025 at the age of 70. He was preceded in death by parents Maria and Manuel Rodolfo Ibarra, brother Rudy, sisters Esther Bernal and Molly Leal. He is survived by his daughter Melanie Ibarra and granddaughter, Gabriella Benavides, brother Robert (Gloria) Ibarra, and sister Belinda Ibarra Gomez. 

Rey was a 1973 graduate of Brackenridge High School and a very proud Brackite. After high school, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. He was a member and Publicity Director of the Brackenridge Reunion Dance Committee for several years promoting the annual dance. Although not a Veteran, he joined his brother, a Vietnam Veteran, and sister-in-law as a member and Publications Director for the U.S. Military Veterans Parade Association and promoted the Veterans Parade held every year in November. 

At the age of 7 years old, Rey learned on his own to play the drums on a set purchased by his Dad. Rey loved and breathed music and became a well-known and accomplished drummer/musician and composer all his life. Rey started playing with conjunto bands such as Vangie and the Comets Conjunto at the age of 8 years old. His Dad would take him to the clubs or venues and stay there with him. He later played with Jimmy Edwards Band, Joe Jama and Mother Truck Band, the Young Breed Band, the Roger V Band, and Tobias Band just to name a few. With the Roger V Band he traveled all over the U.S. and throughout the world such as Hawaii, Rio de Janiero, Brazil. They opened for many famous celebrities in Las Vegas and various U.S. cities such as Frank Sinatra, Nancy Sinatra, B.J. Thomas, Don Ho in Hawaii, and too many to mention. He also played with AI Sturchio Spurs Band at the Hemisfair Arena for many years. 

After suffering a series of 7 strokes with major brain hemorrhages in 2009 and losing most of his vision and limited mobility, he left the music business for the next three years for rehabilitation. He became a recluse and lost touch with all his musician friends. After several attempts to urge him to go out to see his musician friends by his brother Robert and sister-in-law Gloria and refusing, they finally talked him into going out to an unknown place with them. Instead, they took him to the San Jose Fiesta Festival where the Latin Breed, Lil Henry Lee and The Tribute Band, Jimmy Edwards and others, were performing. There he finally reconnected with all his old musician friends. He was on cloud 9 and he gradually got back into the music scene. He got his life back and enjoyed every minute of it even with the challenges of his health. He was in the process of producing a CD with the music he wrote and composed. 

Rey was known and loved by so many and made a lasting impact not only by his personality, his quirkiness, his love of his family here and in Mexico and awesome performances. He could play those drums like no other. Rey has left us with so many beautiful memories and will be greatly missed.