Henry Oso A. Castillo

Henry (Oso) Castillo, a longtime resident of El Paso, died on February 7, 2024. Henry was born in a small house in El Paso’s Segundo Barrio in 1949 to Ana and Jose Castillo. He was Jose’s second son and Ana’s first. Henry grew up to be a big guy who excelled in middle school football, so much so that he was recruited by local high school coaches. He went on to play football at El Paso Tech High School. 

After graduation, he worked at Thompson Hospital where he was recruited as an orderly after staff noticed his physical strength. This experience sparked a career in helping others with their mental health. When interacting with his patients, he gave them a strong sense of compassion and patience. This led to him taking a job at the El Paso State Center, where he worked for 16 years. His reputation led him to a job at Communities In Schools as a drug and alcohol prevention counselor. Through this role, he taught numerous El Paso children and adolescents about how to cope with their feelings and the importance of avoiding drugs and alcohol. He became known as Oso because, while he was big in stature, he was known for being caring, understanding, and funny. His creativity and passion for helping others led to several annual events hosted by Communities In Schools. More specifically, he saw the need to boost self-esteem in young ladies and created a non-traditional beauty pageant that celebrated young El Pasoans. He also created a dance contest where kids competed from various schools and were given the opportunity to show their talent. One of his favorite traditions was being Santa Claus for local kids. 

While Henry was accomplished in his career and as a coach, Henry says his biggest accomplishment was as a father. His four daughters are all educated and accomplished. After retirement, he devoted himself to being a grandfather. He is survived by his wife of 45 years Carmen Castillo; his four daughters Rebecca Castillo, Melissa Castillo, Christina Castillo Serna (Luis), and Patricia Castillo Montiel (Mike); his sisters Mary Almanza, Eva Beltran; and his four granddaughters, Adriana, Magdalena, Marisol and Lilia Christina and grandson, Enrique.   

 Visitation will be from 3:00pm to 8:00pm with a Reflections at 5:30pm on Friday, February 16, 2024, at Sunset Funeral Homes-Northeast, 4631 Hondo Pass Drive.  Services entrusted to Sunset Funeral Homes-Northeast.  Please visit his online memorial at www.sunsetfuneralhomes.net.