Nasario "Chico" Zapata

Nasario “Chico” Zapata, 92, passed away on Thursday, April 3, 2025. Chico was born in Crockett, TX on June 1, 1932. He grew up in Corpus Christi, TX, and then left to serve his country in the United States Air Force. He met Mathilde Endrass while stationed in Germany. They later married on November 15, 1958. Chico retired from the Air Force as a Tech Sergeant in 1971 after 20 years of service. He, then, went on to serve as a Civil Servant at William Beaumont Army Medical Center as a Supervisor of Histopathology. He later retired from Beaumont in 1997. He spent his retirement years doing all the things he loved: barbecuing, spending time with his kids and grandkids, hosting family cookouts, reading, watching sports, traveling, and taking long walks around the neighborhood. Chico was preceded in death by his parents, Victor and Juanita Zapata, his brother, Benjamin Zapata, and his sisters, Enriqueta Saenz and Genoveva Alday. He leaves behind five children: Bob Zapata, Pat Mears, Carol Sutton, Mike Zapata, and Jeanette Stringer. He was grandfather to seven grandchildren, Ryan Navarro, Christina Perez, Michael Sutton, Matthew Zapata, Andrew Zapata, Nikolaus Stringer, and Jordan Cardwell-Roach. He was a great-grandfather to Jacob and Jason Perez.

Visitation will be from 5:00 to 8:00 pm, with a Vigil/Rosary to begin at 6:00 pm on Monday, April 14, 2025, at Sunset Funeral Home - Northeast, 4631 Hondo Pass Drive. A Funeral Mass will begin at 12:30pm, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, at Our Lady of Assumption Catholic Church, 4805 Byron Street. Committal Service to follow at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, at Fort Bliss National Cemetery with Full Military Honors, 5200 Fred Wilson Ave. Services entrusted to Sunset Funeral Homes-Northeast Please visit his online memorial at www.sunsetfuneralhomes.net.