Roberto Coronado López
Born: December 24, 1942 – Deceased: September 14, 2013
Robert C. López, Sr. passed away on September 14, 2013 at approximately 6:30 PM at Harborview Medical Center, in Seattle, Washington. He is preceded in death by his father, Jesus P. López and his daughter, Marivel López.
He was born in Crystal City, Texas. He was the eldest in the family of four brothers and a sister. He came from a family that started out making a living as migrant workers which then progressed into livelihoods in transportation, in business as owners and entrepreneurs, as well as engineers and musicians. He himself was an accomplished accordionist and was also well versed in playing a variety of other instruments of which he was mostly self-taught. He introduced his family, (brothers, cousins, son, daughters, etc.) as well as countless friends and acquaintances, to the music he loved so dearly.
He and his wife, Maria Louisa, of 52 years, were married on June 15, 1961. They had eight children, Anna, Marivel (deceased), Diana, Robert Jr., Dorothy, Veronica, Yvonne and Michelle. Roberto Sr. and Maria made their lives in Moses Lake, Washington. Robert (had) and Maria (has) 20 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren. The most recent great grandchild, was born the same day of his passing.
As a young man, he enjoyed acquiring knowledge in all aspects but had a unique love for music. He began playing music for local establishments at the age of 14 with his own conjunto band and continued playing music well into his late 60s.
Given he came from a life where money was scarce; he was always looking for a means to make money. He started shining shoes at the age of 9 on weekends in the evenings in his home neighborhood while working the cotton fields during the day. He quickly found out he wanted to run his own business and obtained a GED and later a business degree from La Salle Extension University in Business. He ventured into the music business as a DJ, playing the Mexican music he loved as well as promoting it in the Columbia Basin while also performing in his own band and working/running a jewelry and pawn shop business. He was an active political participant and served as a Mexican American Affairs Commissioner for two years starting in 1980 for the state of Washington. He was part of many community clubs and organizations yet the club that had the most impact and was a memorable part of his life, was the Latin American Club. There he met and made many dear friends that were a great part of his and his family’s life. In his later years he wrote for various publications and sold real estate.
He had many fond memories as an adult, yet his most precious were of his birthdays, where many friends and family would gather for food and music. He would have up to 100 people that would visit the house throughout the day for his birthday.
He was a caring grandfather and was always willing to impart musical knowledge and any other information he considered important, to his friends and family. He is survived by his mother, Teodora, four brothers, Jesus Jr., Oscar, Lupe, Benito, sister, Sylvia, his wife, Maria, children, Anna, Diana, Roberto Jr., Dorothy, Veronica, Yvonne, Michelle, 20 grand children and 9 great grandchildren.