Ismael “Japon” De Leon

Ismael “Japon” De Leon

Ismael “Japon†De Leon, 55, entered into eternal rest on April 17, 2022. Ismael was born on July 29, 1966, in San Diego, Texas to Gustavo De Leon and Carmen Perez.

As a child, Ismael grew up in Alice Texas where he came from humble beginnings and faced many adversities. Ismael turned to sports in middle school and from then his life changed. He learned discipline, responsibility, teamwork, and perseverance. He was in track and football. In football he was a running back and proudly sported the #22. He was an outstanding athlete and was often in the newspaper. However, he suffered a knee injury in his junior year. He was quoted as saying “I have got to go with it and keep trying harder.†It was also in high school that Ismael joined the Drafting club and that’s where his love for design flourished. He was told by one of his teachers that he wouldn’t succeed in college, but he proved them wrong. He attended college at Beeville County College where he pursed an Associate degree in Applied Science in Drafting and Design. He then went on to attend the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and obtained a Bachelor Degree in Fine Arts in Architectural Design. It was at UTSA where he met his wife Mary Olivia “Libby†De Leon. They got married on April 22, 1995, and had three wonderful children, Brianna Olivia De Leon, Ismael Cristian De Leon, and Adrian Ricardo De Leon. Throughout his life, Ismael worked with several Architectural firms and extended his experience to work with some Construction Companies. He had some medical conditions along the way, but that did not stop him from providing for his family. It was until recently that he decided to support his family from home and be a stronger role model to his children. He would teach them to cook, fix cars and was their #1 fan on the field and court. He was proud of his daughter Brianna because she followed in his passion for the arts and nature and obtained a degree in Architecture from California Polytechnic and Texas Tech University. He was also proud of his son Ismael Cristian who sported the #22 in his middle school and high school years when he played football and later went on to graduate from Sam Houston University with honors. Last but not least his little one Adrian, a junior in high school, whom he was proud of because he also has sported the #22 in football and track like him.

Ismael will be remembered for his good-natured, fun-loving personality, prankster, sense of humor and his great cooking. He enjoyed meeting up with his friends here in Brownsville, Alice, and San Antonio. He was an avid Dallas Cowboys fan, loved the Alice Coyotes Football team, loved watching and sharing CBS Sunday Morning the moment of the day with his daughter, loved music of all genres, running, biking, art, and design. He was an active member of the Knights of Columbus Council #1553 and Assembly #1127. He was also a member of the AIA (American Institute of Architects).

He is preceded in death by: Gustavo De Leon (father), Carmen Perez (mother) and Leticia Barrera (sister).

Ismael is survived by his loving wife (Mary Olivia “Libbyâ€) of 27 years, daughters (Brianna Olivia and Needra) and sons (Ismael Cristian and Adrian Ricardo), brother (Abel) and sisters (Sylvia and Cynthia), 1 grandchild, numerous uncles, cousins, nephews, nieces, and friends.

Visitation will be held from 1pm to 8pm with the recitation of the Holy Rosary at 6pm on Thursday April 21, 2022, at Sunset Funeral Home and Crematory located at 657 Springmart Blvd, Brownsville, TX. (956) 350-8485.

A catholic funeral service will be celebrated at 10am on Friday, April 22,2022 at St. Joseph Catholic Church located at 555 W. St. Francis St. Interment to follow at Buena Vista Burial Park. Services are under the guidance of Sunset Memorial Funeral Home, Crematory & Flower Shop.