Sergio Delberto Gabino

Yes, his mom really did give him all those names, something he would not have admitted willingly, but like he said, “Don’t EVER let them saddle one of our grandkids with a multiple moniker like this!!” Though his close family called him “Sergio,” he used “Bert” more often and rarely shared the rest of his name with anyone. He was born May 6, 1941 in Houston, Texas, and lived his first eighteen years in the East End of Houston, Texas, or the Gran ‘Republica de Magnolia’, as he fondly referred to his neighborhood. His initial playground was either at his father’s feet at the Alamo Furniture Store, and later Avenue I with his friends, but by junior high he could often be found pounding his feet across the basketball court at Mason Park on 75th Street. As he grew toward manhood, he developed a love for reading and excelled in science in high school. He was already playing basketball at Milby High School and found himself gazing toward the refineries and chemical plants down Highway 225. He resolved he was going to get an education, and he did. He felt he belonged in the petro chemical industry and that it was calling him. He was a little worried though because in his “time” Mexican American students were often overlooked or excluded from higher educational institutes. He found out by accident that colleges were traditionally aiming to acquire white students. Though he maintained a 4.0 grade point average, even his high school counselor told him not to get his hopes up. He prayed to Our Lady of Guadalupe for a way to get to college. It was coming. One day a scout from a far off and nearly unheard of institution called Schreiner saw him play a college game in North Texas and thought Sergio had some potential. He contacted Milby and checked Sergio out. He delved into Sergio’s academic record and was stunned to find excellent grades. The following September, the kid changed his view of the horizon from Harrisburg and Navigation to the view from the hills of Kerville. Though he was accepted to play basketball for Schreiner, Sergio dived into his studies and was exposed to a whole new world. He excelled in chemistry and physics and made lifelong friends. After he graduated Schreiner, he went on to Rice to continue his studies. After Rice, he made his trek into the petrochemical world and worked in companies from Phillips, to Amoco, and Champion Technologies. He spent the last fifteen years of his career on a new venture where he travelled to Mexico, Venezuela, and Ecuador performing highly technical work in refineries such as PDVSA, Pemex, and Petroecuador (Esmeraldas facility). In addition to hands-on oilfield chemistry, he also served as translator for foreign interactions with contract underwriters in the US and Canada. In the midst of his career he went on a blind date set up by his employee, Bennie Garcia. He fell in love hard and married that blind date about two years later. After 45 years together, Denise survives him and will always hold him in her heart as will his three devoted daughters, Michelle Young, Christina Ranjel, and, Jeannette Gabino Mendoza, and eight grandchildren whom he loved dearly (Bradford, Gracelynn, Theos, Emily, Gemma, Hector, Joanna, and Joel.) He strongly believed in helping others and taught English as a Second Language to adults aspiring to become US citizens. He often played in small bands around town including, for a few years, in the music ministry of a large Catholic church in Houston. He was an excellent drummer but favored the congas and Latin music over traditional rock and roll when performing. As a listener, he enjoyed classical masters and bought every album ever made by Israeli violinist, Itzhak Perlman. Music relaxed and inspired him. For Sergio, the music never died. He had a soft spot for stray dogs, homeless kids, cats, and the crazy squirrels who lived in the oaks that surrounded our house and later at our townhome. He often tried to communicate values to our kids and other kids who came through our home on their journeys. He understood the trials of blended families, people who suffered loss, and those who lost their way while on their life journeys. His favorite saying was, “Some people are going to leave, but that is not the end of your story. It’s only the end of their part in your story. God expects you to keep going until your story is finished.”

Sergio Delberto Gabino

May 6, 1941 - September 14, 2023