Major
Major Santos D. Tenorio
d. June 9, 2013
Major Santos D. Tenorio, U.S. Army retired went home
to serve with “the Big Ranger in the Sky” on Saturday, June 8, 2013.
Rosary service will be at 6:00 PM tonight (Wednesday) at Schooler Funeral Home, Brentwood Chapel, 4100 South Georgia. Funeral Mass will be at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church on Thursday at 10:00 AM. Celebrant will be Rev. Jose Gomez. Burial will follow with Military Honors at Llano Cemetery East. Arrangements are by Schooler Funeral Home
.
Major Santos D. Tenorio was born in Potter County. He was the son of migrant workers. He worked the fields with his family all over the country. He was number 15 out of 16 children. His father, Maximino, and his mother, Guillermina, preceded him in death as well as a daughter, Felicia Briana. Also preceding him in death were a brother Henry of San Antonio, brother Eugene of Amarillo, brother Henry of San Diego and brother Paul of Amarillo.
He is survived by sisters Margie and Elias Flores, Geneva and Orlando Sanchez, Caela and Pete Escoto, and a brother Alex and Cecilia Tenorio all of Amarillo. His surviving children include son Jeff and Tamara Wittenbrink of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Santos D. Tenorio II of California, Antonio Tenorio, Briana Tenorio and fiance Phillip Mark, and Luis and Jill Tenorio of Amarillo; as well as 13 cherished and beloved grandchildren, one great-grandchild, and numerous nieces and nephews.
He always felt that education was the key to success and he never stopped striving to better his education and help others with his knowledge. He attended Dwight Morrow Elementary, Elizabeth Nixson Junior High and Amarillo High School class of 1957. He excelled at athletics in school and particularly enjoyed track and wrestling. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Methodist College in Fayetteville, N.C., while on active duty with the U.S. Army. He enlisted in the Army from Amarillo, attaining the grade of sergeant first class. He subsequently was commissioned as a second lieutenant of infantry, and retired as a major after more than 22 years of service. He was a graduate of Basic Airborne School, Jumpmaster school, the Ranger course, Special Forces medic course, the Special Forces training qualifying for the Green Beret, Infantry Officers Candidate School, Infantry Officer Vietnam Orientation Course, Advanced Infantry Officers Course, Combat Intelligence Officer Course and winter warfare school in Spain.
He served in three combat tours in the Republic of South Vietnam, a tour in Panama, and Germany. He was awarded the Combat Medical Badge, Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Master Parachutists Badge, Ranger Arc Tab, Bronze Star Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Meritorious Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, Vietnamese Expeditionary Medal with Silver Star and three Bronze stars, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Palm and the Vietnamese Master Parachutist Badge.
He was assigned to the 101st Airborne division after Ranger school and he served in the 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 10th Special Forces Group after his assignment to the 82nd Airborne division. He was a gifted linguist of at least 7 languages, which aided both his military and personal careers. He was an Army ROTC instructor in the Fort Worth Independent School District at Polytechnic High school and Edcouch-Elsa ISD at Edcouch-Elsa high school and at Mercedes high school in Mercedes, Texas; both of South Texas. He returned to Amarillo, Texas because of his mother’s failing health. He gained employment with the Department of Energy at the Pantex plant as a job task analyst and operations officer for the security division. He worked there until he was recruited for the Department of Defense and the State Department where he worked as a consultant advising foreign companies in matters of surveillance, counter-surveillance and counter-terrorism.
He subsequently was recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency working with their counter-terrorism department. His duties also required extensive foreign travel and knowledge of languages in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. After being wounded, he was medically retired, returned to Amarillo, Texas and was then employed at Amarillo Independent School District where he became the immigrant and migrant counselor headquartered at Caprock high school. He retired after working there for 16 years, in September of 2012.
He credited his health to lifelong exercise and good eating habits. He went to the gym regularly and enjoyed running and swimming, until retiring from Caprock. He was an avid reader, particularly military history, often stressing the need to learn from history in order to prevent repeating past mistakes. He enjoyed watching movies, attending sporting events and spending time with his family. He believed in living life to the fullest and never taking time for granted. He was a true Patriot who always felt the need to serve his country and its citizens.
“You’ve never lived until you’ve almost died. To those who fight for it, life has a flavor the protected never know.” -Unknown Soldier Vietnam 1968
to serve with “the Big Ranger in the Sky” on Saturday, June 8, 2013.
Rosary service will be at 6:00 PM tonight (Wednesday) at Schooler Funeral Home, Brentwood Chapel, 4100 South Georgia. Funeral Mass will be at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church on Thursday at 10:00 AM. Celebrant will be Rev. Jose Gomez. Burial will follow with Military Honors at Llano Cemetery East. Arrangements are by Schooler Funeral Home
.
Major Santos D. Tenorio was born in Potter County. He was the son of migrant workers. He worked the fields with his family all over the country. He was number 15 out of 16 children. His father, Maximino, and his mother, Guillermina, preceded him in death as well as a daughter, Felicia Briana. Also preceding him in death were a brother Henry of San Antonio, brother Eugene of Amarillo, brother Henry of San Diego and brother Paul of Amarillo.
He is survived by sisters Margie and Elias Flores, Geneva and Orlando Sanchez, Caela and Pete Escoto, and a brother Alex and Cecilia Tenorio all of Amarillo. His surviving children include son Jeff and Tamara Wittenbrink of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Santos D. Tenorio II of California, Antonio Tenorio, Briana Tenorio and fiance Phillip Mark, and Luis and Jill Tenorio of Amarillo; as well as 13 cherished and beloved grandchildren, one great-grandchild, and numerous nieces and nephews.
He always felt that education was the key to success and he never stopped striving to better his education and help others with his knowledge. He attended Dwight Morrow Elementary, Elizabeth Nixson Junior High and Amarillo High School class of 1957. He excelled at athletics in school and particularly enjoyed track and wrestling. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Methodist College in Fayetteville, N.C., while on active duty with the U.S. Army. He enlisted in the Army from Amarillo, attaining the grade of sergeant first class. He subsequently was commissioned as a second lieutenant of infantry, and retired as a major after more than 22 years of service. He was a graduate of Basic Airborne School, Jumpmaster school, the Ranger course, Special Forces medic course, the Special Forces training qualifying for the Green Beret, Infantry Officers Candidate School, Infantry Officer Vietnam Orientation Course, Advanced Infantry Officers Course, Combat Intelligence Officer Course and winter warfare school in Spain.
He served in three combat tours in the Republic of South Vietnam, a tour in Panama, and Germany. He was awarded the Combat Medical Badge, Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Master Parachutists Badge, Ranger Arc Tab, Bronze Star Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Meritorious Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, Vietnamese Expeditionary Medal with Silver Star and three Bronze stars, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Palm and the Vietnamese Master Parachutist Badge.
He was assigned to the 101st Airborne division after Ranger school and he served in the 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 10th Special Forces Group after his assignment to the 82nd Airborne division. He was a gifted linguist of at least 7 languages, which aided both his military and personal careers. He was an Army ROTC instructor in the Fort Worth Independent School District at Polytechnic High school and Edcouch-Elsa ISD at Edcouch-Elsa high school and at Mercedes high school in Mercedes, Texas; both of South Texas. He returned to Amarillo, Texas because of his mother’s failing health. He gained employment with the Department of Energy at the Pantex plant as a job task analyst and operations officer for the security division. He worked there until he was recruited for the Department of Defense and the State Department where he worked as a consultant advising foreign companies in matters of surveillance, counter-surveillance and counter-terrorism.
He subsequently was recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency working with their counter-terrorism department. His duties also required extensive foreign travel and knowledge of languages in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. After being wounded, he was medically retired, returned to Amarillo, Texas and was then employed at Amarillo Independent School District where he became the immigrant and migrant counselor headquartered at Caprock high school. He retired after working there for 16 years, in September of 2012.
He credited his health to lifelong exercise and good eating habits. He went to the gym regularly and enjoyed running and swimming, until retiring from Caprock. He was an avid reader, particularly military history, often stressing the need to learn from history in order to prevent repeating past mistakes. He enjoyed watching movies, attending sporting events and spending time with his family. He believed in living life to the fullest and never taking time for granted. He was a true Patriot who always felt the need to serve his country and its citizens.
“You’ve never lived until you’ve almost died. To those who fight for it, life has a flavor the protected never know.” -Unknown Soldier Vietnam 1968
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