Tuesday, July 23, 2024
Manuel Esparza, age 104, and a resident at Hillside Medical Lodge, was recently surprised with a birthday celebration where he spent the afternoon visiting with family members and friends. Cake and ice cream were served to residents who attended his party.
Esparza was born on July 11, 1920, in the Ames community in north central Coryell County. At his birth, Woodrow Wilson was president of the United States, and William Hobby was the governor of Texas.
He was the eldest of six children born to Epi Manuel Esparza and Maria (Mattie) Garcia Esparza. He went to school at Ames and worked on the farm. His father passed away in 1932 when he was 12 years old. Esparza continued to work on the farm until he was drafted into the Army Air Corp in 1942.
While he was in military training in Florida, he met his future wife, Felda Sutton. They were married in 1943. His military service included time spent in New Guinea and the Philippines. Esparza served in the American Theater and the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and received a Bronze Star, Good Conduct medal, Victory Ribbon, and Service Strip. He was honorably discharged on Nov. 11, 1945, at Fort Sam Houston.
Following his time in the military, Esparza and his wife lived for three years in Florida and Missouri before moving back to Gatesville in 1948.
He attended a GI school in Gatesville where he learned carpentry. He worked as a carpenter for James Dixon and later worked for Burl Watts. He also drove a gas truck for Conoco and delivered gas all over the county.
Esparza lost his wife, Felda, of fifty-six years, in December of 1999. The couple had one child.
On the event of his 100th birthday, his son, Stan Esparza, described his father as being a “Jack of all trades.” He said that his father had never been on medications and that he always watched what he ate. He attributes some of his father’s longevity to genetics since his father’s mother lived to be 96, but mostly he attributes it to the fact that his father stayed busy all the time and just didn’t want to sit down.
