Richard is survived by his wife of 51 years, Virginia Bara Alaniz; his 6 children, Cynthia (Jesse) Arguello, Richard (Kimberly) Alaniz Jr., Carlos Alaniz, Eric (Monica) Alaniz, Jason (Melissa) Alaniz, Jennifer (Ruben) Yañez; 18 grandchildren, Matthew, Stacey (Alex), Ashley, Hailee, Tatiana, Caleb, Billy, Arianna, Diego, Zach, Ryan, Erin, Brandon, Juliana, Avery, Chlöe, Ruben Jr. & Bryan; 4 great-grandchildren, Aubrey, Logan, Reagan, Ariya; his four-legged furry companion of 16 years, Sophie; 5 sisters; Adela, Sulema, Gloria, Diana, Norma; 4 brothers, Graviel III, Raul, Baldemar, Martin; and numerous nieces & nephews.
Richard graduated from Southside High School in 1965, where he was a three sport athlete. He was drafted at the age of 19 into the United States Army during the Vietnam Era. He was stationed in Fort Hamilton, New York and proudly served his country overseas in Frankfurt, Germany as a Field Radio Mechanic. Sgt. Alaniz was awarded a National Defense Service Medal and awarded Marksman (Rifle). He was Honorably Discharged and moved back home to San Antonio, Texas in 1967.
Richard was a hard working man, he was a former employee of the following; Globe, Shoppers World, Albertsons, Cornelius Mexico & USA, Schroeder of America.
Mr. Alaniz was an avid sports enthusiast and enjoyed supporting his children and grandchildren in their various sports programs, no matter the distance. He supported Holy Cross of San Antonio, where his 4 boys attended and graduated from. He volunteered many hours at Holy Cross and was a member of the Booster Club where he was known as “Mr. A.” Mr. Alaniz proudly supported his children and influenced so many others from 1987-1999 and continues his legacy as a proud fan of the Holy Cross Knights. Richard ’89, Carlos ’92, Eric ’94, Jason ’98, Jen (cheerleader) ’95-’99, Jesse ’85, Matthew ’07, Stacey (Alex) ’10, Ashley ’19, Juliana ’21. He will be dressed in his HC guayabera shirt and taking a new HC baseball cap to shake down the thunder from the sky…onward to victory, Fight! Fight! Fight!
