Douglas Eugene

Rockstead

Douglas Eugene Rockstead , beloved father, grandfather, brother, and uncle went to his eternal rest on Saturday, May 9, 2020.

He was born on September 1, 1939, the very first day of World War II to Cecilia and Anton Rockstead in Janesville, Wisconsin.

Douglas had a love of warm weather and trains which led him to south Texas after graduating high school. It was on a weekend train trip to Tampico, Mexico, that he met his future wife, Santa. He worked as a fireman for the Southern Pacific Railroad before joining Tri-Pak Machinery as a draftsman and eventually rose to the role of chief engineer. He designed, installed, and troubleshot vegetable packing machinery around the world including California, Florida, Mexico, Nicaragua, and China. He was always learning and taught himself multiple languages (Spanish, French, some Chinese), and computer programming.

He and his wife, Santa, also started a small side business, Rockstead Precast Concrete, to make and sell picnic tables, parking blocks, statuary, etc. You can still spot some of his work scattered around the valley. He always went through the extra step of cementing the benches and tables together to make sure they were solid and safe.

He is preceded in death by his wife, Santa, his parents, Cecilia and Anton Rockstead, his sister, Sally Gavney, his brothers, Edward and Roger Rockstead, and his nephew, Michael Dampier.

He is survived by his children: Azucena (Randy) Overman, Douglas (Maria) Rockstead, Cecilia (Brian) Papke and Ronald Rockstead. He will also be missed by his grandchildren: Douglas III, Marcus, Isabella and Alonzo Rockstead. He is also survived by two sisters: Susan (Charlie) Mink and Alanna Wilgus as well as numerous nephews and nieces.

A service will be held at St. Anthony Catholic Church, 1015 E. Van Buren in Harlingen, Texas on Saturday, July 4th at 10 AM.

His cremains will be interred with those of his wife, Santa, at the site of their beloved organic garden.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to a go fund me account set up to cover his final medical expenses at https://www.gofundme.com/f/q3pjaw-memorial-contributions