Jesus Mercado

Jesus Mercado, 58, passed away on Sunday, December 30, 2018, at Valley Regional Hospital in Brownsville, Texas. He was born September 16, 1960 in Matamoros, Tamaulipas and was raised in Brownsville, Texas. In 1984, he built his home in Los Fresnos, TX where he and his wife began their life together and future family. Jesus was a hard worker, a family man, and a man of faith. My father was a character that could make anyone laugh with his outgoing personality, whether it was a silly sound, silly facial expression, or a simple conversation. I can definitely say he left a mark on each person he would meet. His positive outlook on life kept him young and strong, which is something I will forever admire. As a father, he always managed to do the best for his family by providing us with life’s necessities and unconditional love. He was not only a father to us, but a best friend. We could always confide in him and receive the best advice. His words of encouragement, support, and time shaped me to be the woman I am today. We built many memories that will last a lifetime and I know that near or far, he will always be with me. He was the best dad I could have ever asked for. Along with being a loving father, he was a wonderful husband for 35 years. He was my mom’s partner-in-crime, best friend, and love of her life. They were inseparable and took care of one another through good times and bad times. All the memories I have of my parents are beautiful and they truly lived by their wedding vows, through sickness and health…till death do us part. The love they shared was another thing I admired and aspired to have one day, and I was blessed to have my dad give his blessing to marry the love of my life.

One of my dad’s favorite hobbies was being outside, whether it was hunting, gardening, cutting the grass, fishing, barbecuing or just sitting down feeling the breeze. He also enjoyed watching tv shows and movies, where he would find a new character to be every day. At one point he was Sparta, at another point he was the Hulk. He also loved listening to music on his phone.  

In April 2017, he started undergoing kidney dialysis, which was a huge turnaround in his life but that never brought him down. He always looked forward and never let the tiredness get the best of him. He would go three times a week to dialysis but that never stopped him from working and he never made excuses. He was fortunate to end his life working for Rick Ortiz at Allstate Insurance. He talked highly about his work environment and always mentioned how happy and blessed he was to work there.  

My dad lived his life to the fullest and he was able to find a woman to love him and nourish him to the end. She gave him two beautiful daughters that he adored and was extremely proud of. He truly had everything he could have asked for, but God knew he was tired and set him free. He will forever be missed, and we will forever love him. 

Jesus was preceded in death by his paternal and maternal grandparents, mother Graciela Lira Mercado, and daughter Jessica Lee Mercado. 

He is survived by his loving wife, Norma Mercado, his daughter, Erica Mercado and future Son-in-law, Hector Garza. He is also survived by his father, Alberto Mercado and siblings: Yolanda (Mike) Garza, Rosalinda (Lorenzo) Garza, and Ernesto (Maria) Mercado and his brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law and numerous nieces and nephews. 

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, January 2, 2019 from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a recitation of the holy rosary at 7 p.m. at Sunset Memorial Funeral Home. Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 2:00 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Cathedral on Thursday, January 3, 2019, with committal service to follow at Buena Vista Burial Park at 3:00 p.m. 

The pallbearers for the funeral will be Emilio Reyes, Hector Garza, Ernesto Mercado, Mike Garza, Lorenzo Garza, and Michael Garza. 

My mother and I would like to thank everyone for the prayers and kind words that were sent to my dad during this difficult time. He is now home, and Jessica received him with open arms like he always dreamt it would be. May he rest in peace and May God bless you all.