John Carlos Cantu

John Carlos Cantu, age 96, of Westlake Hills, Texas entered into eternal rest on Friday, May 25, 2025. He was a longtime resident of Westlake Hills, was born in La Feria, Texas to Juan and Margaret Cantu.

He is survived by his six children and many grandchildren. He was an only child and played trumpet in the band at Harlingen High School. John was very studious and graduated at the top of his class. His parents Juan and Margaret were hard workers and owned Cantu’s Drygoods store back in the day. Margaret worked at the store most days and loved to cook meals for her family when she got home. Her favourite dishes were Spanish rice, Steak Tampiqueno, and Fideo. Margaret’s sister Celia joined her in the kitchen making her fresh flour tortillas. They loved to cook for John and his large family when they came to visit. While John spent most of his time working and raising family he still found time to take his family on many trips back to South Texas to visit his mother and for some beach fun at South Padre Island. John moved to Austin when he was just sixteen to attend The University of Texas and Baylor University ultimately obtaining degrees in Chemistry, Pharmacy, and International Business. Once he graduated, he began to work at an Independent Pharmacy and shortly thereafter, became the new owner, calling it John’s Prescription Pharmacy. This first pharmacy was located at 15th and Guadalupe and John really enjoyed the location being near his Alma Mater University. In later years, John opened a second pharmacy location in the Austin Diagnostic Center located on West 34th Street. Finally, a third location opened in North Austin on Angus Road. Although John was very busy, he still found time for his many hobbies which were music, art, reading, swimming, tennis and international travel. He built a pool and tennis court at is home to be enjoyed by his large family. John also loved the Austin Symphony and attended for many years with his daughters. He also attended the Santa Fe Opera for many years with one year seeing all of the operas for that season. John also had a taste for fine wine and foods and enjoyed trips to Napa Valley. His many travels to Europe, Spain and the Orient led to his deep appreciation of other cultures and art. In his later years, John established a scholarship program for students of the University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley. One of his proudest moments was when he commissioned and erected a statue of Jose De Escandon “Father of South Texas” for the University’s campus. He cared deeply about higher education and assisting students from the Rio Grande Valley. .” John was also a proud veteran of the United States Air Force. John loved all of his children and once retired, he had a business card made with a photo of him with his children. John was a generous, hard working man, and will truly be missed by all of his family, colleagues and friends.

A Celebration of Life honouring John Cantu was held on May 28, 2025 by close family members. The family requests that any donations be made to (UTRGV) University of Texas Rio Grande Valley scholarships department.