Ray Ernest Mireles

Ray Ernest Mireles, 71, of Houston, Texas, passed away on January 16, 2021.

He passed away in San Antonio, Texas, due to complications with the COVID-19 virus.

Ray was born in Houston, Texas, to father Ernest Mireles and mother Dolores Luna. Ray graduated from St. Anthony’s Catholic High School in San Antonio, Texas, with intentions of joining the Catholic seminary. Ray then graduated from Texas State University formally Southwest Texas State University with a Mathematics degree and a minor in physics. He was referred to in college as “the gorilla” due to a professor’s mispronunciation of his last name. That’s how he earned his nickname. We also called him King Kong, because he was #1 to all of us. He went on to work with Southwestern Bell Telephone Company for over 25 years in Construction and Management that helped pave the way for the future in Direct Service Line (DSL) networks all along the Western seaboard to South Texas. While at Texas State he was the President and Treasurer of his fraternity, Theta Xi. In his spare time, he enjoyed woodworking and carpentry, camping, building and sailing model boats, watching WWII movies that surrounded the Navy, James Bond movies, and spending time with his family in Houston, Texas and spending time with his devoted wife Ana and family in San Antonio, Tx. He was the President and Treasurer of his model sailing club, Woodlawn Sailing Club.

Ray was a kind and loving man. He was a man of honor, courage, and integrity. Ray was awarded for his act of bravery and courage by Southwestern Bell Telephone Company on October,1, 1982, for saving an elderly woman’s life from a burning duplex apartment and he also saved a man whose vehicle was on fire on the side of the road. He pulled an unconscious man out of the vehicle and called for help. Ray was also a critical thinker, logical, and calculated man in most things in his life. Most of all he had a goofy personality. He was a great father to his five boys and two daughters, Rolando and Rafael, Vincent, Jason, Patrick, Briana, and Eliana. Ray enjoyed his life and his work during his time at Southwestern Bell. Most of all, Ray loved to help people succeed regardless of their differences or traits in any degree. Ray always believed that if you had the mindset and skillset to support your work then you were the rightfully qualified person for that job.

Aside from being survived by his wife, Ana he also leaves his five sons Rolando, Rafael, wife Tabby, Vincent, Jason, Patrick, and 2 daughters Briana and Eliana, brothers Richard wife Vera, David wife Sylvia, Bobby, wife Brandi, Freddy, and wife Diana, sister Laura, and many nephews, nieces, and cousins. He was preceded in passing by his mother Dolores Luna Mireles, father Ernest Mireles, and sister Yolanda Mireles Castro.

A visitation service is scheduled for March 22 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at Puente and Sons Funeral Chapels Northeast at 14315 Judson Rd., San Antonio, Texas, 78233. A rosary will be held at the same location from 6:30pm to 7:00pm. The funeral mass will be held on March 23 from 10:30am to 11:30am at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church located at 16075 N. Evans Road, Selma, Texas, 78154. Burial to follow at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Cemetery #2 from 11:45am to 12:00pm.

In lieu of flowers, please kindly make a donation to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church Divine Mercy Cenacle Group, Our Lady of Guadalupe Society and St. Ann's Society. Makes checks payable to: OLPH