John M. Velez

John M. Velez, Jr., beloved husband, son, father, grandfather, and uncle, died on Tuesday, July 31, in San Angelo. He faced the last few months of his life with incredible courage and left behind an amazing legacy of strength, determination, and endurance for those he loved and those who loved him in return. John was born to Juan Velez and Lionor Velez on August 11, 1949, in San Angelo. He attended San Jacinto Elementary School, Edison Junior High, and Central High School. He left school in his sophomore year to go to work at B&W Foundry to help his family. He worked at B&W for 27 years, rising to the position of foundry foreman. When B&W closed, John worked for Fixture Concepts, San Angelo Independent School District, and the City of San Angelo Parks Department, retiring in 2007 when his health went into a sharp decline. His work ethic was beyond compare. Every task ever assigned to him was done to perfection; he never gave less than 100% to any task. He married Mary Jane Samaniego in 1971 and three children were born to that union: Juan S. Velez, Joseph Edward Velez, and Leanora J. Velez. He spent many, many hours coaching his children's sports, and when he wasn't their coach, he was their biggest cheerleader. In his later years, he was his grandchildren's biggest fan at their athletic events. He married Laura Greene Velez on May 27, 2001, and spent the last years of his life playing golf, gardening, playing with his dogs, and enjoying his grandchildren. John is survived by his wife Laura, sons Johnny (Nicole) and Joseph (Tammy), daughter Leanora J, granddaughters Darrian, Adrianna, Karina, Annika, Alexis, Lilliana, and grandson Joseph Edward Velez, Jr. Other survivors include his parents, Juan and Lionor Velez, brother Jorge(Sandy) Velez of Fort Worth, sisters Elva (Adam ) Sanchez of San Angelo, Elsa Martinez (Ruben) of San Antonio, Elesa Larez (Steve) of Round Rock, Nina (Edward) Rivera of Fort Worth, and Cissy (Juan) Luna of San Angelo, and many, many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins, and the mother of his children, Mary Jane Ortegon. He is also survived by Laura's family: stepsons John (Rachel) Greene of Acton, MA, Bert (Lara) Greene of Austin, Ben (Christa) Greene of Lubbock, step-grandchildren Jack, Roy, Olivia, Sean, Avery, and Austin Greene, mother-in-law Billye Jean Townes of Decatur, and sister-in-law Connie (Allen) Arnold of Decatur. And finally he is survived by his dogs Lucy, Ricky, Fred, and Ethel. He was preceded in death by his grandparents and his brother, Ventura Velez. Family visitation will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Friday, August 2, 2013 at Robert Massie Funeral Home. Services will be at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, August 3, at Sierra Vista United Methodist Church with burial to follow at Lawn Haven Memorial Gardens. Arrangements are with Robert Massie Funeral Home. Pall bearers will be Mario Acosta, Richard Acosta, David Acosta, David Rivera, Ricky Luna, Ron Murphy, Tony Ramon, and Lionel Deanda. The family wishes to thank the ICU nursing staff at Community Medical Center and Dr. Michael Blanc, Dr. Jesse Jurado, Dr. Steve Montoya, and Dr. Bruce Heare for their kindness and compassion during John's last hours. Memorials may be made to Concho Valley PAWS or the charity of your choice. "It is finished, the battle is over. It is finished; there'll be no more war. It is finished, the end of the conflict. It is finished and Jesus is Lord." Rest in peace, my beloved. John's obituary and memorial guestbook may be viewed online at www.RobertMassie.com