Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Posted: Tuesday, March 27, 2007 12:00 am
Odessa At the blessed and tender age of 101, Juan Bonilla Flores passed from this life. He was born June 25, 1905. He was the last survivor of the Porvenir Massacre who died at his home in Odessa, Texas, on Sunday, March 25, 2007. Juan was the son of Juanita and Longino Flores. He had an older sister, Benita Flores Mesa and an older brother, Narcisco Flores.
Growing up on the banks of the Rio Grande, Juan always believed he belonged as much in Texas as he did in Mexico. He would herd the family stocks, such as goats, etc., in Presidio County and in Chihuahua where there was more grass in the dry seasons. In 1913, Manuel Morales, the owner of the Porvenir Ranch, offered his father, Longino Flores a job to administrate the extension irrigation ditch of the Rio Grande to the Porvenir Ranch. After the widening of the irrigation ditch, Mr. Longino decided to stay as a sharecropper and also to build a home in Porvenir, Texas. On the ranch the Mexican-Americans dreamed to plant cotton and to build a cotton gin, instead, their dream came to an end on January 14, 1918, in Porevnir when 15 farmer men were taken out of their homes at 2:00 a.m. and completely slaughtered to their deaths. Juan Flores has not shared this tragic story until the year of 2000, due to his family discovering documentation of the Porvenir Massacre. Juan had kept this tragic story to himself for such a long time and decided to share this unforgettable, yet sad, incident. At the age of 95, Juan decided to show his family the exact location of the Porvenir Massacre and the buried fifteen men. Due to his age, Juan was not able to climb the hill that marks the location of buried fifteen men, where he once stood upon a freeze in January 1918. On that day and on that hill, he remembered weeping as he saw his beloved father, Longino Flores, being buried with the other fourteen men. Even through such an experience, Juan loved to tell wonderful and exiting stories of his childhood day at the Big Bend.
In 1919, while living in Ruidosa, Texas, word got around that General John Pershing and his soldiers were in Mexico and heading toward Ruidosa. The towns people were excited of seeing this well talked about General, as the General crossed the Rio Grande with his men, he did not go around shaking hands like he was known to do. He only made a short speech saying that he would give five United States dollars for every mule that was returned to him and that they may keep whatever was on the mules, such as gun, ammunition, etc. Later on, one of his soldiers said the General was in a hurry to get to Marfa, and send a telegram to headquarters.
Juan is survived by his sons, Longino Flores of Odessa and Juan Flores Jr. of Midland; daughters, Paula Flores Smith of Arlington, Erlinda Flores Burgess of Roanoke, Alabama, Benita Flores Albarado of Uvalde and Vicki Belen of Odessa; including five generations of grandchildren and numerous nephews, nieces cousins and lot of friends of the Flores, Bonilla and Meza families.
A prayer service will be held at 7:00 p.m. today, Tuesday, March 27, 2007, at Odessa Funeral Home Chapel. Funeral services have been set for Wednesday, March 28, 2007, at 10:00 a.m. at Sunset Heights Baptist Church, 2401 W. 16th St. Juan will be buried following the service at 2:00 p.m. at Mt. Olive Cemetery in Big Spring next to his beloved wife who passed away July 6, 1971. Serving as pallbearers will be Jesus Flores, Jose Lupe Flores Juan Belen Jr., Jose Flores, Longino Flores Jr. and Juan Flores.
The family would like to express a special thank you to Star Care Hospice for the wonderful care of our beloved father and grandfather.
Services by Odessa Funeral Home.

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