From the Void, God created all. The Stars, Sun and Moon. God created the mountains, the valleys, and the animals of the seas, the land and the air. God created Man and from Man, Woman.

God Created all we do not know, all we know, and all we are meant to know in the evenings and the mornings of 6 days.

God saw that his creation was very good and on the seventh day:  He Rested.

We could almost say in the vernacular of today, that God had released his Beta version 1.0

God has made “mods” or upgrades to this initial creation release.  Examples of these refinements are a worldwide flood of Noah fame, an earthquake or two, wiped out a couple of towns with brimstone and fire cause they were not nice to strangers, several ice ages, continental tectonics and changing weather.  His upgrades continue.   Having created Man and having encouraged him to “begat”, Man took to begatting, one could say, like a duck to water.

 And Man continues to begat.

We jump forward in the refinement of the creation.

The place is San Antonio, the province of Bexar, once part of New Spain, now part of the country of Mexico. The Louisiana Purchase is complete. It is the early 1800’s.  Rafael Rodrigues and Maria Sabia Hernandez have just begun begating.

 By  September of 1830, five and a half years before the fall of the Alamo.   Rafael Rodrigues and Maria Sabia Hernandez  added to the growing family and  begat Jose Maria. 

The place is San Antonio.  The time frame is November 1859 the Great War Between the States is a year and a half away and Jose Maria Rodrigues and Francisca Gonzales begat Severo.

The place is San Antonio.  The time frame is August 1885 There are no wars close by and Severo Rodriguez and Timotea Leon begat Viviano (my  Grandfather).

The place is San Antonio; a stone throw from El Senor de Los Milagros. The time frame is December 1917 and the First World War will not end until the following year and Viviano Deleon Rodriguez and Angela Quinones Begat Severo. 

We are here, today, to celebrate the life of one born Severo Quinones Rodriguez.

Let me back up for a moment.  When my Father was born, the birth certificate sent to the county stated his name as Severo. This is the first name given my Father. It would not be the last.

This is   a good time to get his name straight.  Many here think his name is Vivian.  His birth name is really Viviano. The same name as his Father’s and mine.  So how did his name become Vivian?  By the way he has had other names.  For a period of time his name was “Wallace”.  If there are any Carrillos or Chincarini’s here, they will attest to this.  For a short period of time he was an extra in movies out in California.  People named him Wallace because he looked like Wallace Berry of 30’s fame.  The name has stuck with some parts of the family.

The familiar for Viviano is “Viv ywhan”  So how do you spell  “Viv ywhan”  on a typewrite without an  " ñ " or accent mark.  When I was born, here in San Antonio, I was born in my Grandmother’s bed.  My Grandmother was a midwife. My Grandfather (Viviano) prepared the birth certificates (ask George Q.) as he had excellent penmanship.   This is how he prepared my birth certificate.

Name of Child: Viviano

Name of Father Viviano

We know who prepared the document.

So his name was really Viviano.   In 1943, when allotments for military families were created by congress, he had to prove that the name on his marriage certificate and he were the same person. He had to prove he was the documented husband of my Mother.  He could not. The county had him registered as   Severo. It was his Mother that added further confusion.  In correcting the name she stated his name was “Viv ywhan”.  So how do you spell the Viv ywhan ? It wound up written by the county clerk as Vivian.  And that ends the mystery.

God continues refining his creation.

Viviano was born December 25, 1917.

And it was the evening and the morning of the first day.

Day 2

Viviano grew up around the   Chapel of El Senor de Los Milagros, as did many of his Aunts, Uncles and cousins. Today it would be Ruiz and IS 35.  It is a large and extended Family that included the Rodriguez’s and the Ximenes’s.

He had a happy childhood.  Much self created.  For those who may not know, El Senor de Los Milagros is the Family chapel of the Ximenes and Rodriguez’s. The interfamily marriages extend back to the middle 1800’s.  Carolina “Carrie” Rodriguez Cantu his cousin told me my Father was not above “borrowing” money from the donation box at the chapel with a stick and chewing gum to take himself and others to the movies.

He went to work early, first as a shoeshine boy and then later selling newspapers.  He also worked at a dry goods store. He always worked.  School was not a priority.  He has dyslexia, as do many members of our family, including myself. 

He did however, have a photographic memory, which saved him many times.  Once he figured something out, it was always within him.  

When the great depression hit San Antonio, he and his brothers became part of the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) and helped build parts of the Riverwalk and Breckenridge Park.   When we would come to San Antonio we would take barge trips on the river, he would point out places he helped build.  The CCC took him  to other parts of the country.  He spent time in New Mexico, Arizona and California. Most of the money he earned with the CCC was sent home.  This started a pattern as he always sent his mother money each month for many, many years.

He learned the benefits of hard work and he learned helping others is a good thing.

And it was the evening and the morning of the second day.

Day 3

Albert, his older brother, joined the Texas National Guard.      But Viviano was not old enough to join.  He fixed the problem. He became older.  With a stroke of a pen, he changed his birthday from December 25 to April 4 and also added a couple of years to his age signed on the appropriate line that the information was true and became a soldier. 

He became part of the Texas Army.

 The Texas National Guard was a full time job.  Not a week end thing as we think of it today.  Texas had an Army and the Texas 124th Cavalry was one of its units.  He had a horse; he had a gun.  Actually, it was a water-cooled, belt fed, fully automatic machine gun. It was a machine gun carried by a horse or mule.

The year is 1934 and he is (was) 16.  This launched what would become a lifetime of service in the Military.

During this time he grew up.  Eventually he met our mother, married and in 1940, I was begat.  

On December 7, 1941, we were attacked, forced into World War II.   You will recall he was born during the First World War and now he will participate in the second.  The 124^th was assigned to protect our southern border.

The Japanese had handed the British a severe blow in eastern Asia and there was fear of the loss of India.  If India was lost then China was lost as our Chinese allies were forced into western China at this time and were supplied by a road that had been hacked out of jungle and mountains crossing the Himalayas into western China.  We know it today as the Burma Road.

 England demanded troops. The US complied by sending part of the Texas Army to India.  This then became the CBI campaign or the China Burma India Campaign. The CBI included both Land and Air Forces.

The 124^th Cavalry turned in their horses at Ft. Riley, Kansas, went by train to the west coast   on to Australia then to Bombay India.   All this, the detailed history of the 124^th Cavalry campaign is described in a book by John Randolph   called “The Mars Men”, published right after the war. 

In a nut shell, the 124^{th Cavalry (Dismount)} and another Texas unit entered Burma from India, crossed enemy lines, disrupted enemy communications, engaged the enemy in fierce and pitched battles in the mountains and jungles during the day, at night, in rain, in steaming jungle and freezing mountain nights. They also fought tigers, charging water buffaloes, snakes, insects and disease.   Their supply was by air.  Food, medicine, ammunition, oats for the mules, as well as mules and pigs, mail and replacement parts were parachuted from “Goony Birds” C-46s and C-47s into jungle clearings. These drops were often recovered under heavy harassment fire from the enemy.    

The 124^th and other Texas Units destroyed the enemy, making it possible to construct the Ledo road from India reconnecting to the old Burma Road.     This allowed the re-supply of China and eliminated the threat of losing India.  .    

My Father returned to San Antonio and brought home some of the spoils of war. He gave me a Japanese Rifle my brothers and sister other things.  He presented my Mother with a blue velvet box covered with designs of fine silver threads.  It was filled with rubies, diamonds, sapphires and other jewels.  For our Mother, He was brought back safe and unharmed. 

And it was the evening and the morning of the Third day.

Fourth Day

Our Father returned from the War and we settled down.  Still in the Military he was assign the task of delivering bodies of the fallen to their families.  He reenlisted.  This time he left the Texas National Guard and entered the regular Army.  He was stationed at Ft Sam Houston.    He had not gone too long as the CBI campaign took place in 1944 and 1945.  He and my Mother had continued to begat. There were now Marvin, my sister Bea and Larry.  Larry was born a few months after he left.  

If we were involved with a local church, he participated very actively.  He was always a great example of helping others.  When he was an usher at the Methodist Church, people seem to give more, often because he would give them the ‘eye’ if the donation was not enough.  He would drive the bus and collect children at the Nazarene Church to get them to Sunday school.  

  By 1947, we had moved in and out of several homes and cities.  From Ft Sam, we left for Japan.  By 1950 we were again at war.  The family was in Japan Our Father always protected us. On a morning in September of 1950, our base located on the Northern Island of Japan came under attack from the air.  Us kids, our Mother and Our Father ran out and jumped into slit trenches as the ground shook from the Antiaircraft guns located all around us.  Our Father was keeping us deep in the trenches while Marvin and I tried to peek over the edge to see what was going on.  School was canceled that day.

Our Father was sent to Korea to battle the communists.   After the success of the Inchon landing he returned to Japan and was assigned to transit support.  Here he organized the feeding of thousands of troops on their way to Korea.   We were together.  We stayed in Japan until the end of the occupation in December of 1951 when we returned to San Antonio.  We were here for over a year before leaving for Germany.  Before we left, our parents had begat again and Sandra entered our family.  We moved to Germany.  In the summer 1955, when the German Occupation ended, we returned and were assigned to a new duty station at Ft. Riley, Kansas.  It was here that   begating ended with the birth of my youngest brother, George R.

Our Father always took care of us.  I am sure we confounded him with our antics, but he always seemed to forgive us regardless of what mischief we created.  I want to say we did some strange things by today’s standards. I remember, when he made us boys get rid of the several tons of ammunition, mines, rockets, and other explosives my brothers and I had accumulated in the basement of our house.    We really needed these, as the prime source of power for our homemade rockets was the powder. 

He was a great organizer. He demanded and got total control of the projects he was expected to complete.

He accomplished much in the Army.  He helped develop cooking techniques such as boneless turkey rolls to improve efficiency in mass cooking.  He ran the Officers club and the chain of enlisted clubs.  His organizational and interpersonal skills allowed him to accomplish   the tasks given to him.

He organized the feeding of the entire First Infantry Division with a giant on base BBQ to celebrate the 50^th year of the Big Red One. 

He was active in the community.  For example he taught cooking techniques in Home Economics classes at the local high school in Junction City.

Our Father retired from the Army with over 30 years of service.

And it was the evening and the morning of the fourth Day.

He applied for and was accepted by the Free and Accepted Masons advancing first to the third degree and after joining the Scottish Rite of North America Southern Jurisdiction  earned his 32-degree.  He joined the Shriners and became a member of   Isis Shrine, A.A.O.N.M.S.  (Ancient and Accepted Order of  Nobles of the Mystic Shrine) in Salina Kansas.

All my brothers and sisters had left home to start their families.  It was a signal and so he moved the family HQ to San Antonio.  In San Antonio he continued participating in the Masons and joined Alzafar Shriners and Nat Washer Lodge here in San Antonio.   

Having retired, he and a neighbor started a company called the “Alamo Tool Company”.  He started selling tools to people coming across the border at the flea markets first in San Antonio then in Eagle Pass.  This was during the oil boom of the late 80’s. 

Over the next few years our Mother began to have micro strokes and had become clinically depressed.    Eventually our parents separated.  

It was the evening and the morning of the fifth day.

He moved to Eagle Pass because that is where his business was.    He worked, and in time met Carmen whom he married.   He continued to help others.

In Eagle Pass he helped over 3300 children. Many of these children were from Mexico.  As a Shriner he would arrange to bring these children from Mexico and transport them to the Shriner hospital in Houston or the Shriner Burn Center at Galveston.

As a Mason he became Master of his Lodge.

He hosted the Annual Shrine Circus.  He sold or gave away hundreds of tickets.  He would take care of the children, often sending them hot dogs, cokes or popcorn, often at the expense of the circus owner.   

He became involved with Veterans Affairs and helped many claim their benefits.  He became Commander of the local VFW. He helped acquire Grave markers for the Veterans.   Single-handed he pushed others into helping him build a new community building for the VFW.  His efforts were recognized as the Veterans of Foreign Wars community center has been named after our Father.

A couple of years ago he was named the Eagle Pass Citizen of the year.

When it became too difficult for him to devote the time and energy to his lodge, the Shriners or the VFW he reduced his activities to where he could do the most good.  At Christmas time he would collect toys for the kids and pass these out at church.  He loved to see a child smile.

 In a lifetime it would be difficult for one Man to do as much for others as our Father; His energy impacted thousands.

Whether it was helping his Parents, his brothers and sister, giving his Buick to George Q for an evening so he could go on a date.  Whether it was helping a Nephew or Niece; Giving kind advise to a sister in-law.   A veteran in need might get 50 bucks without an expectation of repayment.  

He might drive a thousand miles to help one of his daughters or a son.

For us kids, we always knew our parents.  Our Father may have left us to go to War or maybe in advance to a new duty station, but he was never far away.

Some may claim our Father has died. This I reject.   Today, we have gather to celebrate a Life as Our religion teaches us that we have the mystery of Life Eternal.  Besides, what Viviano Q. would say is, that “Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.”

Our Father lives on, within my brothers and sisters, our children and our Grandchildren just as our Mother does.   Our Father is the sum of  our experience with him and values he has taught us.  He taught us to work hard, That OUR Family comes first and it is a good thing to help others. 

Some of us are visited by our Mother; I am sure the same will hold true for our Father. 

I know that some night in a dream I will hear my Father say:  “Son, how’s it going, how is work, do you need any money? “

On the evening before my Father crossed that river from which no man returns and entered that house not made by Human hands, I placed my hand on his forehead, gently stroked his brow, leaned over and whispered, “ My Father, let it go, go to sleep. Let it go, go to sleep.”

He slowly opened his eyes and said, “Thank you my Son, thank you for everything”, squeezed my hand and with a half smile whispered back, “ I will!”

And thus ended the evening and the morning of the sixth day, Viviano Quinones Rodriguez saw that all he had done was very, very good and on the seventh day, he rested.