Juan Duarte Jr.

October 12, 1927 - April 13, 2014

Beloved husband, father, grandfather; Juan Duarte, Jr. quietly passed away on April 13, 2014. He was surrounded by family in the home which he resided in for 57 years. He was born in Laredo, Texas on October 12, 1927 to Sara Savedra Duarte and Juan Duarte, he grew up in both Nuevo Laredo, Mexico and Laredo, Texas. He married Olga Marquez in 1946 and together they had eight children. His large family grew to include 17 grandchildren, 23 great grandchildren and 2 great-great grandchildren. He was a long time Houston resident and small business owner of Duarte Heating and Air Conditioning Service. He was one of the first Hispanics to be licensed in Houston and was well respected in the Northside Community. He was proud of his Mexican Heritage and was a member of the Asociacion de Charros Los Nortenos for many years. He often participated in the Houston Rodeo parade in the 1970s. Juan was preceded in death by his son Armando Duarte and recently his sister, Esperanza Salas. His example of hard work has led to a family of doctors, lawyers, engineers, educators, firefighters, business professionals and tradesmen. As our dad, he taught us to work hard so we could “get ahead”. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Olga M. Duarte, his children: Margarita Gutierrez, Agelia Durand, Haidee Bucher, Rosa Garcia, Juan J. Duarte, Xenia Hallaway and Eduardo Duarte. He is also survived by his sister Elena Duarte and leaves many more family members and friends. The Duarte family would like to offer our sincerest gratitude to his Caretaker Irma Ochoa, Nurse Anna Santos, Caring Neighbor Mary Galaviz Alexander and Dr. Victor O. Mendiola and his staff, for their care and kindness. In lieu of flowers, the family request memorial contributions to Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston at http://www.imgh.org/ or Meals on Wheels, 3303 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77002, Condolences may be sent to the family at www.DettlingFuneral.com . A memorial Mass to celebrate his life will be held April 29th at 10:00 am at St Patrick’s Catholic Church, 4918 Cochran Street, Houston, Texas 77009.