Click ahead to see some of the notable San Antonians the city lost in 2017.
Click ahead to see some of the notable San Antonians the city lost in 2017.
San Antonio musician Fernando Herrera most widely known for playing for John F. Kennedy just hours before the president’s death died Sept. 12, in San Antonio at the age of 88.
San Antonio musician Fernando Herrera most widely known for playing for John F. Kennedy just hours before the president’s death died Sept. 12, in San Antonio at the age of 88.
The longtime democratic state representative who served District 120 for two decades died at age 74 on Dec. 19 following an extended battle with cancer.
The longtime democratic state representative who served District 120 for two decades died at age 74 on Dec. 19 following an extended battle with cancer.
Better known as 'Mama' of the iconic soul food restaurant Mr. and Mrs. G's Home Cooking, Addie Garner hangs on the wall of Mr. and Mrs. G's Home Cooking. Garner died Sept. 11 at the age of 82.
Better known as 'Mama' of the iconic soul food restaurant Mr. and Mrs. G's Home Cooking, Addie Garner hangs on the wall of Mr. and Mrs. G's Home Cooking. Garner died Sept. 11 at the age of 82.
A San Antonio movie critic for several decades, his reviews and celebrity interviews appeared in the San Antonio Express-News, on WOAI radio and on KENS-TV as well as many other local outlets. Polunksy died Aug. 20, at the age of 85.
A San Antonio movie critic for several decades, his reviews and celebrity interviews appeared in the San Antonio Express-News, on WOAI radio and on KENS-TV as well as many other local outlets.
... moreKnown as 'Mama Bexar' Oldham a perennial mayoral candidate died in August at the age of 83.
Known as 'Mama Bexar' Oldham a perennial mayoral candidate died in August at the age of 83.
Alvarado, who died Dec. 26 at the age of 57 from heart problems, worked his way to a management position at some of the River Walk's best-known restaurants, becoming a fixture of the river's dining scene.
lessAlvarado, who died Dec. 26 at the age of 57 from heart problems, worked his way to a management position at some of the River Walk's best-known restaurants, becoming a fixture of the
... moreThe 6-year-old died Dec. 21 after Bexar County sheriff's deputies fired on a wanted felon who they believed was armed.
The 6-year-old died Dec. 21 after Bexar County sheriff's deputies fired on a wanted felon who they believed was armed.
Travis Kilian, 20, and his mother Carla Kilian, 55, were killed in a collision on July 1, 2017.
Travis Kilian, 20, and his mother Carla Kilian, 55, were killed in a collision on July 1, 2017.
Officer Miguel Moreno, 32, died June 30 after being shot in the head while stopping two men on the street near downtown the day before.
Officer Miguel Moreno, 32, died June 30 after being shot in the head while stopping two men on the street near downtown the day before.
Duran of the Texas Newspaper Hall of Fame
and publisher of La Prensa died June 25 at the age of 82.
Duran of the Texas Newspaper Hall of Fame and publisher of La Prensa died June 25 at the age of 82.
Burton, a San Antonio native and movie and TV actor, died of brain cancer May 30 at his Houston home at the age of 69.
Burton, a San Antonio native and movie and TV actor, died of brain cancer May 30 at his Houston home at the age of 69.
Firefighter Deem, 31, died fighting a blaze in a Northwest side shopping center on May 18 while searching a burning building for potential victims.
Firefighter Deem, 31, died fighting a blaze in a Northwest side shopping center on May 18 while searching a burning building for potential victims.
Music journalist and singer-songwriter Young died May 11 from complications with cancer. He was 67.
Music journalist and singer-songwriter Young died May 11 from complications with cancer. He was 67.
Guadiana a long-time hostess at La Fonda on Main died April 11 at age 74.
Guadiana a long-time hostess at La Fonda on Main died April 11 at age 74.
Developer Parman who is credited for building Stone Oak died April 9 at age 81.
Developer Parman who is credited for building Stone Oak died April 9 at age 81.
Stuebben, a San Antonio native and priest died at age 84 on March 28. He was formerly a key administrator in the San Antonio archdiocese.
Stuebben, a San Antonio native and priest died at age 84 on March 28. He was formerly a key administrator in the San Antonio archdiocese.
Garcia, a former anchor and consumer reporter in the '80s and '90s on San Antonio TV, died at 65 of congestive heart failure on Feb. 24.
Garcia, a former anchor and consumer reporter in the '80s and '90s on San Antonio TV, died at 65 of congestive heart failure on Feb. 24.
Hathaway a San Antonio radio legend died Jan. 27 from a heart attack at age 78.
Hathaway a San Antonio radio legend died Jan. 27 from a heart attack at age 78.
Victor Lopez of Los Keys which brought Las Vegas style shtick to the River Walk in the 1970s died at age 77 on Jan. 24 from a heart attack.
Victor Lopez of Los Keys which brought Las Vegas style shtick to the River Walk in the 1970s died at age 77 on Jan. 24 from a heart attack.
Campesi, a longtime jazz musician and music teacher in San Antonio, died Jan. 13 at home. He was 95.
Campesi, a longtime jazz musician and music teacher in San Antonio, died Jan. 13 at home. He was 95.
Flores was seen as a trailblazer for U.S. born Latino priests and bishops died Jan. 9 at age 87 from complications of pneumonia.
Flores was seen as a trailblazer for U.S. born Latino priests and bishops died Jan. 9 at age 87 from complications of pneumonia.
Former Sgt. Maj. Thomas Ellis, one of six surviving Tuskegee Airmen in San Antonio, died Jan. 2 of a stroke in a local hospital. He was 97.
He served as an administrator with the first all-black Army Air Forces unit and was proud of its record — 15,533 sorties, 112 aerial kills, 96 Distinguished Flying Crosses and three Presidential Unit Citations.
Known as approachable and easygoing, Ellis also chafed at the racism African Americans endured during the war and knew the importance of proving that the 332nd Fighter Group was up to the job.
“He was very opinionated, very outspoken,” said Rick Sinkfield, national spokesman for Tuskegee Airmen Inc., which has 1,400 members across the country, around 20 of them pilots from the legendary unit.
Composed of the 301st, 302nd, 99th and 100th fighter squadrons, the group is thought to have had as many as 14,000 airmen, about 1,000 of them pilots, Sinkfield said.
Ellis knew that “all eyes were on those guys to do well, so he wanted to make sure that they were taken care of,” Sinkfield said. “And try to help them avoid conflicts with the white officers. They had a problem with black people flying aircraft at the time, so he was very aware of that.”
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Ellis, a San Antonio native, will be buried with full military honors at 9 a.m. Friday at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. His wife, Janie, died in 2016.
Just five Tuskegee Airmen remain in San Antonio with his passing — James Bynum, 97; Theodore Johnson, 93; James Kelly, 89; Eugene Derricotte, 91, and Dr. Granville Coggs, 92.
Ellis grew up in San Antonio, learned to play piano in elementary school and graduated from Phillis Wheatley High School, now Brackenridge High. He attended Samuel Huston College in Austin, now known as Huston-Tillotson University, for two years before being drafted into the Army in 1942.
Ellis went to Tuskegee Army Airfield and was the only enlisted member with the newly activated 301st Fighter Squadron, his daughter, Janice Stallings, said. He rose quickly through the ranks while managing personnel records, serving under Col. Benjamin O. Davis Jr., who eventually became an Air Force general.
The group deployed to Italy, where Ellis earned seven battle stars and earned the rank of sergeant major.
Back home, he initially worked as a porter but landed a job with the U.S. Postal Service, where he remained until retiring in 1984. Stallings, a 75-year-old retired teacher living in Los Angeles, said her dad had a strong work ethic, was a good provider and pushed her to get a good education.
The post office held his day job, but Ellis, as an accomplished pianist, also led a jazz quintet. Sinkfield, who heads the Tuskegee Airmen’s San Antonio chapter, said the band was well known around town.
A service was held Saturday at St. Paul United Methodist Church, where Ellis was the first president of its men’s group, was once named its “Man of the Year” and was known as being friendly to everyone.
“He was really approachable, really easy to meet. He made people feel good,” Stallings recalled. “What he would do is, he would see an older person, a person that’s older than him, and if it was a man he would say, ‘How are you doing, young man?’ Or if it was a lady, ‘How are you doing, young lady?’”
“He was like that,” she said. “Very friendly. Too friendly, sometimes … He would slow you down if you were trying to take him someplace.”
The fighter group’s exploits were popularized in a 1995 HBO film, “The Tuskegee Airmen,” and the 2012 Hollywood movie “Red Tails,” but their impact as role models began decades earlier, in the years after President Harry Truman desegregated the armed forces in 1948.
Mark Brown, a two-star general and deputy commander of the Air Education and Training Command in San Antonio, discovered their importance when he was a young cadet at Tuskegee University in Alabama.
“I was coming through the building of ROTC and saw the pictures of these men on the wall and I did not know their story,” Brown said. “And I clearly remember the commandant of cadets, a lieutenant colonel, coming up to me and telling me that the men on the wall had to fight for the right to fight.”
sigc@express-news.net