Alejandro "Jando" L. Palomo

After an extended illness, Alejandro L. “Jando” Palomo passed away peacefully on September 1, 2021 at age 87 surrounded by his wife and children. He was born on April 17, 1934 in Crystal City, Texas to Domingo and Martina Palomo. He had eight siblings.

As a young boy in the 1940s, Alejandro contracted, and was one of the few people to survive, Tetanus. His family also traveled each year to work in the fields “up north” as migrant farmworkers. Alejandro often spoke to his children about the hardships he and his family endured. He wanted to be sure that his children knew about their history and would never forget their humble beginnings.

While serving in the Air Force where he was stationed in Greenland, New Foundland, and Oklahoma, Alejandro married the former Elida Garcia. They had six children – Becky (George), Sandie (Andy), Alex (Christina), Mandy (Walter), Art, and Eva (Carlos). After moving to Chicago for some years, the family returned to Texas where Alejandro initially worked for the Express-News and later, as a mail carrier where he made many long-term friendships, including Felipe Gonzalez, Arnold Rios, Raul Ruiz, and Ben Soto.

Alejandro had many interests. He and his wife loved dancing and were often the first and the last on the dance floor. He enjoyed growing plants from seedlings and exchanging cuttings with his sisters. He spent many hours renovating his home, and he loved working with clay and wood. He enjoyed golfing with his buddies and his closest cousin, Mike Palomo. Grinding homemade sausage, fermenting cabbage for sauerkraut, experimenting with winemaking, weather-watching and stargazing were other pastimes. He was a big fan of watching live performances. Two of his favorites were Zorba the Greek and Man of La Mancha.

Traveling was another passion. He and Elida visited every state in the continental U.S. and traveled internationally to Austria, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Hong Kong, and Mexico. Always preferring to take the scenic route, he once traveled the length of the Mississippi – just to do it. He proudly displayed an “I Traveled the Alaskan Highway” bumper sticker on his truck after he and Elida drove from San Antonio to Alaska one summer.

Most of all, Alejandro loved being with his wife, kids, grandkids, and great grandkids. Many years ago, when preparing the paperwork for his funeral service, he wrote that spending time with his family was his greatest joy. He loved gathering with family to celebrate holidays and birthdays, make homemade pizzas or his famous sopapillas, play a game of volleyball or bocce ball, or go camping at Garner Park or Big Bend. He enjoyed wrestling with his children when they were little, too, something he continued to do later with his grandchildren, and even as he grew increasingly ill, with his great-grandchildren.

Finally, when asked what he would like his obituary to say, Alejandro said that two lines from Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” captured his life best – “Regrets, I’ve had a few. But then again, too few to mention.”

Alejandro was preceded in death by his parents and beloved siblings Luisa, Manuel, Delfina, Norberto, and other family members. He is survived by his devoted wife of 65 years, their six children, 12 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren, siblings Mariana, Dora, Carmen, Juan Ramon, and sister-in-law, Lucy.

The family wishes to express its thanks to all the staff at Holy Savior Hospice.

A rosary will be held at 9:30 a.m. followed by a mass to celebrate his life at 11 a.m. on Friday, October 1, 2021, at Holy Rosary Catholic Church located at 159 Camino Santa Maria, San Antonio, TX 78228.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy for the Palomo family may be shared at www.neptunesociety.com/location/san-antonio-cremation.