Adolfo Esparza Chapa, Sr.

Adolfo Chapa Sr. was born on April 28, 1935 in Corpus Christi, Texas.

He was raised in Robstown, Texas and grew up in the Chapman Ranch area where he attended grade school.

Having to work to help his family, he picked cotton throughout west Texas with his siblings. He later learned the art of upholstery; a self-taught craft that allowed him to become a master craftsman at working and redesigning furniture with his wife, Dora, a seamstress. Married in 1956, he was drafted a year later to serve in the U.S. Army at Fort Carson in Colorado and was then stationed at Schofield Barracks in Oahu, Hawaii. Once returning to Texas, he and Dora relocated from Corpus Christi to Austin, and then to Houston.

Their work in upholstery once appeared in Better Homes and Gardens, at the Astrodome, and St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Beaumont, Texas, to name a few. Together they made a successful life for themselves and their children.

Settling in Woodville, Texas in 1981, their work continued to be a focal point in homes everywhere for years and we are grateful to everyone who graced East Texas Fine Furniture and Upholstery. Adolfo continued to work at the shop in Woodville his entire life, he truly lived by the saying, “work never killed anyone”. Adolfo had many passions including watching the Houston Astros and the Dallas Cowboys, and he was an avid sportsman in his younger years. There wasn’t a Saturday that wasn’t spent washing his luxury vehicles or working to plant more flowers or growing fruits and vegetables in his garden, unless he and Dora were traveling the highway to Colorado, his favorite state in the nation. He also spent many years hunting mule deer on an annual “guys trip” with his best friends and brothers. But perhaps his most treasured pastime was spending quality time with his grandchildren, whom he loved more than life itself.

He is preceded in death by his father, Juan Chapa; mother, Maria Chapa; and siblings, Julia Cantu, Gilberto Chapa Sr., Rodemira Mican, and Ruben Chapa.

Left to cherish his memories are his wife, Dora Chapa; children, Adolfo Chapa Jr. (Karen Ivy), Irene Martin (Ronnie), Irma Chapa; grandchildren, Olivia Nicole (Melissa), Alex Chapa (Sky), Joseph Walker Saenz, and Jake Wade Saenz; and extended family.

The family will receive condolences on Thursday, January 26, 2023, from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM, at Trevino Funeral Home, 3006 Niagara @ Port Ave. A Chapel Service will be held on Friday, January 27, 2023, at 11:00 AM. Services will conclude that same day.

Condolences for the family of Adolfo Chapa, Sr. may be left at www.trevinofuneralhome.net.

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