Carlos Arredondo, Sr.

Graveside services for Carlos Emilio Arredondo, Sr., 82, of Keller, Texas will be conducted at 11:00 A.M., Monday, April 29, 2024 at Green Acres Memorial Park Cemetery in Cleburne.

Visitation for family and friends will be held from 4-6:00 P.M., Sunday, April 28, 2024 in the Rosser Funeral Home Chapel.

Carlos Emilio Arredondo Sr., a notable artist and retired engineer from TXU at the nuclear plant in Glen Rose, Texas.

Carlos' love of life didn't come to an end with his passing, he was surrounded by his loved ones who will continue to honor his legacy by living their lives to the fullest.

Carlos passed away on April 22, 2024 @9:04 pm at the age of 82 after a courageous battle with a genetic heart defect, defying all odds of the life expectancy of this heart condition which is only 25 to 30 years.

Carlos loved his homeland. Born March 10, 1942, the youngest of the three sons of Oscar and Maria Barreto Arredondo in Camaguey, Cuba, he had an ideal childhood.

His mother was an elementary school teacher and his father was a farmer.

Carlos attended a Catholic boys' school, where he felt protected and loved. He especially loved art class. When he was 13, he won an art competition.

After Carlos graduated from high school, Cuba began to change and the Castro regime would make promises they would not keep, and his alliance with Soviet Russia had brought to Cuba the controlling regime and propaganda of the communist party.

Carlos sensed it wasn't safe for him to have his art seen in galleries. The more valuable you were to the communists, the more difficult it was to get away. It became impossible to find paints to buy. The government had taken over all businesses.

Carlos attended college and studied accounting, which he hated, so he changed his major to drafting, which gave him some outlet to creativity.

A friend invited him to a party on his ranch and also invited was Maria Menendez, who attended a Catholic school for girls. Carlos and Maria became friends and began dating. They went to movies and parties, but were always chaperoned.

When they decided to marry, Carlos talked to her mother about it because her father had already passed. Her father had owned a successful men's clothing store. Maria and her mother took over the business. Soon it was claimed by the government, and they were paid nothing.

Carlos and Maria were married November 23, 1963 in the church of their beloved school.

Cuba eventually became completely dominated by the communist government and Castro's regime was killing Cuban citizens. Carlos said all of their freedom was gone.

Carlos began the process legally by filling out the paperwork to deport his family, which involved handing over everything he owned to the communist government.

Carlos, Maria, and their only son, Carlos Jr waited 10 years before finally got the news to leave Cuba.

Carlos and his family was flown to Madrid since there were no flights to America. They had to get their health records cleared. Details detained them more than 3 months. They then flew to New York and after a layover flew on to DFW airport where they were greeted by Maria's brother and his family.

This was the first time they had experienced dead grass and cold weather because in the Caribbean it is never cold.

Carlos said his son got to experience what it was like to celebrate Christmas.

Carlos and Maria resided in Cleburne, Texas for 33 years before moving to Keller, Texas to be near their son, Carlos Jr, and his wife Shirley

Carlos enjoyed painting again and thru the years has painted many paintings of his homeland, Cuba, and they are hanging in many homes of his family and friends.

Carlos' creativity didn't stop with just painting, he could take anything and turn it into a piece of art. His art will be forever treasured thru the years.

Carlos and Maria over the past few years found a passion with cruising to different countries with Carlos Jr and his wife. They traveled throughout the Caribbean exploring other ports. If you ever were having trouble finding them on the ship, you would just look in the casino and there they would be.

Carlos loved his family and is survived by his devoted wife Maria of 60 years, his loving son Carlos Jr and his wife Shirley, his granddaughter Jennifer and her husband Chris, granddaughter Leslie and her husband Clay, grandson Seth and his wife Krystal, grandson Cole and his wife Madison, and grandsons Payton, Alec and Preston, niece Margaret, nephew Daniel, and sister-in-law Edith.