Trini Cortez Gonzalez

Trini was born in Dallas, Texas on February 15th, 1946. He was raised by his honorable master carpenter WW2 veteran- father, Antonio, and his amazing resilient daycare teacher- mother, Helen. He was one of four children and graduated from Crozier Technical High School before serving in the United States Air Force from 1964 to 1968. After his service as an Air Policeman, during which he earned a Good Conduct Medal and an Outstanding Unit Award; Trini went into the construction industry. He helped build structures and lay marble flooring at prominent colleges and banks in Texas and California. Trini and his first wife, Susan, lovingly raised their two children Alicia and Michael in Irving, Texas. The family was active at Calvary Church, with Trini serving as a beloved usher and social butterfly. Trini was a loyal fan of the Dallas professional sports teams, volunteering many years as a leader in the crowd control group for the Dallas Burn soccer team. Trini did go on to operate his own small business, Glass Bricks by TC; and then in retirement, he became deeply devoted to the Tejano music industry, helping to promote and plan events for local talented artists. As a proud veteran himself, he had a passion for foundations and events which helped veterans and their families re-acclimate to civilian life. Trini had a great sense of humor, exuded pure joy from his heart, was humble, and generous enough to give someone the jacket off of his back. He was great at networking with and helping connect people from all walks of life, backgrounds, and industries. His children and grandchildren were the pride and joy of his life. He never missed an opportunity to let them know how much he loved them through words and actions and his family adored spending time with him listening to his stories, big ideas, and adventures. Trini was blessed to find true love with Rosalinda Ybarra in 2015 and they enjoyed spending time with their children and chihuahua babies, taking road-trips to casinos and Tejano music shows, and watching Dallas Cowboys games together. Trini happily provided comfort, protection, support, friendship, and greatest of all, unconditional love for her. They truly valued each other's companionship, and created an abundance of memories throughout their time together, bringing so much happiness, laughter, and joy to each other's lives. According to Rosalinda, Trini will always be the love of her life. "Grandpa Trini", as Rosalinda's family often called him, loved her kids and grandkids as his own by spoiling them and always making them laugh. Trini passed away on January 17th, 2022 and will be truly missed by everyone who knew and loved him.