...  Member of Early Pioneer Family of Texas I. D. Flores Jr., civic leader and long time resident of Floresville, Texas, died at his home in Floresville on January 27, 2008, surrounded by his family. 

 

Mr. Flores was a major part of the fabric of this south Texas town for most of the 1900's and was from a proud Spanish and Canary Island heritage that was central to the founding and early development of San Antonio and Floresville.

 

Born in San Antonio of the historic Flores family and a direct descendant of Francisco Flores de Abrego, a prominent early San Antonio pioneer, Mr. Flores spent most of his adult life in the community of Floresville. He was also a direct descendant of the founders of Floresville. Mr. Flores was a twelfth generation Texan who cherished his family legacy of owning and ranching original land deeded in Spanish land grants dating to the early 1700's. His maternal lineage in the Yndo family also connected to important figures in Texas history, including Erastus (Deaf) Smith.

 

After serving in World War II, Flores joined his father in partnership managing the I. D. Flores Drug Co. 

 

Founded in 1906, the Flores pharmacy was central to the development of the south Texas town and county seat of Floresville.

 

A registered pharmacist, Mr. Flores graduated from the University of Texas in 1939 where he met his wife, the former Mattye Sue LeBlanc. They had four children.

 

Mr. Flores served proudly as a Second Lieutenant in the U. S. Army during World War II. After various assignments in the U.S., he was selected for a special assignment as a liaison and Spanish interpreter to the Defense Command of Central and South America where he spent the major part of the war. Although he traveled throughout the continent, Mr. Flores' activities were concentrated in Panama, Peru, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

 

Over the years after his work was declassified, Mr. Flores relished recounting the many relationships and encounters he experienced during his wartime activities. 

 

At the end of the war, Mr. Flores returned to Floresville and became ensconced in the growth and civic responsibilities of the city. He assumed many leadership roles. He served on the Floresville City Council for 17 years as well as serving as President and the Board of Directors of the Floresville Peanut Festival, the Chamber of Commerce and the Lions Club.

 

Mr. Flores was a long time Trustee of Sacred Heart Church of Floresville. Under Texas Governor Price Daniel, Mr. Flores served as regional Chairman of the Texas Parole Board. In 1963, Governor John Connally appointed Mr. Flores to the Texas State Board of Health calling him "one of the true leaders in Texas health care."

 

As a result of his leadership on the State Board of Health, Mr. Flores became a prime mover in establishing the Floresville Memorial Hospital and secured financial support through the Hill-Burton Act to make this hospital possible. Substantial private funds were also raised throughout Wilson County. He subsequently became a member of the first Board of Trustees of the hospital. As a result of this and his many other civic contributions, Mr. Flores was honored in 1983 with the Jefferson Award in San Antonio from the American Institute for Public Service honoring the highest achievements and ideals of public service.

 

Next to his family, the endeavor closest to Mr. Flores' heart was operating the family Rexall pharmacy known as I. D. Flores Drug Co. which, at its closing in 1991, was one of the oldest continuous family pharmacies in Texas. It was nearly 90 years old operating in the same location and in the same family. He loved the role of pharmacist in helping people and was widely known throughout the state for his generosity of spirit. Every patient, regardless of means or background, carried significance for him and as a result, he was widely loved and respected by people from every walk in life.

 

In 2006, the nationally known poet Naomi Nye visited Mr. Flores in his hometown. That visit inspired the poem, Mr. Flores from Floresville in which she wrote: "Please give us, dear Mr. Flores, give us a new prescription from your deep and kindly life, the richness of an hour and the "human" of humanity again."⁰

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COURTESY/ Vinyard Funeral Home

PHOTO COURTESY/ The Portal to Texas History