In Loving Memory of Manuel Escontrias
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2024
Distinguished native Eagle Passan Manuel Escontrias, a graduate of Eagle Pass High School Class of 1964, passed away on Thursday, October 2, 2024 at the age of 79 in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas with his family at his bedside.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Crespo and Jirrell’s Funeral Home in Baytown, Texas. His remains were cremated and a Memorial Service will be held in his memory on Saturday, November 16, 2024 at Crespo and Jirrell’s Funeral Home, located at 6123 Garth Road, Baytown, Texas 77521, with visitation from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and a Service ceremony at 11 a.m. Immediately following the Service ceremony, a Celebration of Life of Manuel Escontrias will be held.
Escontrias was born in Eagle Pass, Texas on January 14, 1945 to Francisco Escontrias (Valentine, Texas) and Consuelo Villarreal de Escontrias (Jimenez, Coahuila, Mexico).
He is survived by his daughter, Sylvia Anne Escontrias Gray and son-in law, Lawrence (Chip) Gray and son, Manuel Escontrias, Jr. and daughter-in- law, Silvia Escontrias. Also surviving him are his grandchildren Ashly Bosworth, Peyton Escontrias, Taylor Almendarez, Lorenzo Almendarez, and great grandchildren, Jaxon Aiden Bosworth and Senna Kate Davis.
He is also survived by his brothers, Rogelio Escontrias (Martha), Raul Escontrias (Guadalupe), Francisco Escontrias, Gerardo Escontrias (Elnita, deceased), Rolando Escontrias (Janie), Fernando Escontrias (Helen, deceased), and sister, Diana Escontrias de Calderon (Ricardo).
Also surviving him are his great aunt, Maria del Refugia (Cookie) Fernandez and numerous nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews.
Escontrias is preceded in death by his wife of 55 years, Mary Garza Escontrias; great grandson, Christian Escamilla; his parents, Francisco Escontrias and Consuelo Villarreal de Escontrias; and step-brothers, Gerardo Escontrias, Jesus Escontrias, and Simon Escontrias; and step-sister, Anita Escontrias Ramos.
Born into a humble and industrious family in Eagle Pass, Escontrias distinguished himself early in his academic and athletic pursuits within the Eagle Pass Independent School District. He graduated as Salutatorian of the Eagle Pass High School Class of 1964 and was selected as Mr. Eagle Pass High School by his teachers and student peers in 1964. While at Eagle Pass High School, Escontrias played varsity football and baseball, excelling in both sports. As a tight end on the mighty Eagles football team, he was selected as an Honorable Mention All-District Player. His strength was in baseball where he was an outstanding catcher, outfielder, and slugger on the Eagles varsity baseball team, earning all District honors. He was awarded an athletic baseball scholarship to attend Odessa College in Odessa, Texas following his graduation from high school, where he played one season before sustaining an injury that caused him to transfer to Texas A & M University to focus on his academic studies in Mechanical Engineering.
At Texas A & M University, Escontrias blossomed into a top Mechanical Engineering student, graduating with Dean’s List honors and at the top of his graduating class. He received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and was recruited by ExxonMobil (formerly Humble Oil/Mobay) to work at its Baytown, Texas petroleum refinery, the world’s largest oil and gas manufacturing facility. He was the first Hispanic engineer to work at the prestigious ExxonMobil refinery in Baytown, Texas. He went on to hold multiple engineering and management positions within ExxonMobil before retiring after 39 years of professional service. He mentored and was a role model to hundreds of young engineering and business management professionals within ExxonMobil and the metropolitan area of Houston, Texas.
Escontrias loved education and learning so much that he obtained a Master of Business Administration degree from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California while at ExxonMobil to enhance his professional skills.
He and his Eagle Pass High School sweetheart turned wife, Mary I. Garza de Escontrias, raised two beautiful children, Sylvia and Manuel, Jr., while embracing the growing diverse community of Baytown, Texas and greater Houston metropolitan area during the Civil Rights era in the United States and thereafter. They joined St. John’s Catholic Church in Baytown and volunteered in all facets of the growing community Catholic Church. He served St. John’s Catholic Church as a Finance Committee member, lecturer, usher, Eucharistic Minister, fundraiser, and countless of other posts.
Escontrias dedicated his life to promoting education and the youth, the burgeoning Baytown community, improving the quality of life in the community, and transitioning society into a diverse, equitable, and inclusive future.
Facing many challenges in society during his lifetime, Escontrias used his intellectual, organizational, and leadership skills tackling the leading issues in society and in his community to developing creative and practical solutions to them. As an engineer, he most definitely was an on hands type of individual and no challenge was too big to solve.
Escontrias recognized the need for leadership and representation of the Hispanic community within society that he chose to run and get elected to the Goose Creek Independent School District Board of Trustees in Baytown. Later on, he ran for and won a seat on the Baytown City Council. Years later, he ran for the Lee County College Board of Regents and won that election, serving a third governmental entity. He is the only person to serve and hold these three public board positions.
Community involvement was salient for him that he volunteered annually as Little League Baseball Coach (Baytown West Little League), served as a Boy Scouts Scout Master of a local troop, raised funds for United Way, served as President and a Board member of the Baytown Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, served on the Board of Directors of the Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce (TAMACC), served on the Exxon Baytown Credit Union, served the Southeast Texas Housing Finance Corporation (SETH), mentored Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) students, and many other community organizations. He also was an Adjunct Professor at Lee County College in its Continuing Education Department.
After retiring from ExxonMobil, he opened and managed two businesses known as Escontrias Consulting Business Solutions and Escontrias Risk Management & Process Safety Consulting, combining his engineering, business, accounting, finance, organizational, and leadership experience. He was proud to be a certified U. S. Internal Revenue Service Tax Consultant and Preparer for his business consulting clients.
Escontrias will be dearly missed in both Baytown and Eagle Pass, Texas and all who had the good fortune to work with or know him during his life. He dedicated his life to his wife, Mary, and family as well as worked tirelessly to improving Baytown and providing it a brighter future. He will be remembered for his contributions to his family, community, society, and abundant integrity, commitment, and public service. His legacy shall live on forever. Go Eagles! Gig ‘Em Aggies!
Rest in Peace, Manuel Escontrias.
Updated 11/14/2024
