Alfredo Lopez

Alfredo Lopez, of Junction, passed away peacefully at his home January 5, 2024.  He was born November 1, 1939 in Comfort, Texas to Augustine Lopez and Anita Menchaca Rios Lopez.  

Al lived in Comfort until the 7th grade when the family moved to Fredericksburg, Texas.  Al graduated from Fredericksburg High School in
1958 and shortly thereafter he joined the Army serving in Vietnam.  He was in special forces as a green beret and later worked secret service for President Lyndon B. Johnson.  His duty was to protect the Johnson daughters who made it a game of hiding from him.

After serving 10 years in the Army, Al was honorably discharged.  He made his way to Denver, Colorado where he became a Licensed Vocational Nurse and later graduated from the inhalation therapy program at Denver Community College.

 In 1971, he left Denver for Washington State where he entered the Medex Program.  This was a new program and the beginning of the Physician Assistant.  Al was one of 25 selected from a group of 250 to begin the program and his class was the first class to graduate from the Medex Program as a Physician Assistant. He worked over 15 years in migrant health in the Yakima Valley providing complete medical screening, diagnosis and treatment planning for migrant families with emphasis on language, culture, educational and environmental factors. He assumed the management of the Farm Workers Clinic and oversaw the transition of family practice fee system to a sliding scale fee service for low income and seasonal workers.  Al moved to Austin, Texas where he joined the National Migrant Referral Project which was a yearlong program to train healthcare workers on how to improve the health care of migrant workers who were enduring substandard living conditions and suffering infectious diseases at high levels.

Al worked at the People’s Clinic in Austin, Kaiser Permanente in Denver, Colorado, and back to Austin, Texas for the Travis County Sheriff’s Medical Department in the jail system and eventually to Beeville, Texas for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice – Medical Department.

In 1997, Al was recruited and returned to the Hill Country to work at Kimble Hospital.  Al served the community of Junction and surrounding areas or over 20 years when he retired.  He returned to work part time for many years, finally having complete retirement in October of 2022.

Al is preceded in death by his parents.  He is survived by his wife of 20 years, Karen Lopez; 2 sisters: Pauline Roberson and husband Bill of Houston, TX and Judy Aguirre of Kerrville, TX; twin daughters; Amy Klein and husband Siegfried of Aurora, CO, Susan Holdt and husband Dr. Adam of Pensacola, FL; two sons: Martin Lopez of Denver, CO and Patrick Lopez of Ft. Collins, CO; grandchildren: Waelen Lopez of Aurora, CO, Maximilian Klein, Titus Klein, Mattea Klein and Gianna Klein all of Aurora, CO and Jude Yepsen Lopez  of Saguache, CO; along with step-children: Shannon Jetton of New Braunfels, TX and Mike Jetton of Junction.  He is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews, great-great nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles and many cousins, special friends Robert and Dalia Stubblefield, Taylor and Andrea and his little girl dog, Sadie.

Visitation will be Friday, January 12th from 5:00pm – 7:00pm at Kimble Funeral Home.  

A memorial service will be held Saturday, January 13th at 2:00pm at St. Teresa’s Catholic Church in Junction with a reception to follow at the dining hall of the Texas Tech Center at Junction for family and friends who would like to visit.

Memorials may be made to SCARF, CASP, Meals on Wheels, Kimble Library, or Nurses for Kimble County.

Arrangements are under the direction and personal care of the professionals at Kimble Funeral Home. (325) 446-3076