San Benito is only several miles from Harlingen.  I like their Walmart better, they seem to have more things you need and not as busy as Harlingen’s, and its also on the way to Brownsville and Padre Island.  Right along the interstate you pass this water tower stating it was also Freddy Fenders Hometown.

I did some research and found out he was buried at a cemetery at the edge of town.  Freddy had several hit songs that I remember,  Before the Next Tear Drop Falls, and Wasted Days and Wasted nites.  He was a country singer.  I really enjoyed his singing, although I never bought any of his records.

Freddy was born June 4, 1937 in San Benito Tx.  His birth name was Baldemera Garza Huerta.  He grew up in a poor Hispanic neighborhood.  He grew up working with his parents in the fields as migrant workers.  Many of his fellow workers were black, and some of them, Fender remembers, were good enough singers and musicians to have been professionals. The blues music he heard in the fields would become an integral part of his own unique style.  Freddy hit the top Charts in 1975 as a bilingual Country Singer. Freddy Fender has had three successful careers-as a Hispanic/pop star in the late 50’s, a country pop star in the 70’s, and a member of the Grammy award-winning Texas Tornadoes in the 90’s. With his signing to Warner/Reprise, he began a new chapter in an amazing career that spanned nearly four decades.

He had a kidney transplant from his daughter, adopted daughter Marla Garcia, in January 2002 and a liver transplant in 2004. On August 13, 2006, he was diagnosed with incurable cancer and died on October 14 in Corpus Christi Texas.

I knew last year, he was buried near, but I had never bothered to find his grave.  So several weeks ago, Rich and I went to Walmart in San Benito, and I decided that we should find it.  I had looked up the directions earlier.  It was so easy, right at the edge of town.  His grave is in the New San Benito Memorial Park.  He was the first one buried their, and their is room for 300 burials.

There is a replica of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the sidewalk just behind his headstone. The back of the black granite headstone has a picture of Freddy playing his guitar with a spotlight shining on him.

The headstone and grave is surrounded by a large circular area of paving stones. Around the edge of that circular area are two black granite benches and six monuments commemorating his long career.  On the six monuments was all the information of Freddy’s songs, his history in the musical field, and all his awards.  Lots of important info that I didn’t even know .  He had quite an Amazing Life.

Adjoining this Cemetery was a very old one.  As I stood at Freddys grave, I looked over and seen the graves all decorated.  It was so colorful.  I had never seen one like it before.  So Rich and I drove over to explore.

This was the City Cemetery of San Benito.   I walked through this one and was amazed at how they decorated for Easter.  I vowed to come back again.

Again came  a day later….lol….My friend Alice and I decided to go.  “Cici, if you read this, well all go this fall when we’re all back…..You got to see this…..” I took many pics.  As Alice and I walked through, this is what we seen……

Notice  that all the plots are outlined.   Some painted, and many many flowers.  Also these plots are not in any order.   They seem to have buried wherever they had room.  So many are crooked and jammed in areas.

This was the grave of 2 teenage boys.  They constructed a pavilion and a basketball hoop.  They had just poured the concrete floor.  When Alice and I came, they had freshly painted it the maroon color of the pavilion.

This one was designed using tile around the edge walls.  It is full of Easter decorations and eggs.

Another pavilion.  This boy was just 18….born in 1991…died in 2009….another basket ball hoop….Many easter decorations.

Just look the beautiful headstone.  His picture is engraved and they still today 7 years later haven’t forgotten him.

This one was so interesting.  It was completely covered with the white bars and stood on a small rise on the hill.  The top was covered with a tarp to keep the sun from beating down.  It was locked up so nobody could get in.  Beautiful

This was the inside.  I stuck my phone inside between the bars.  Easter flowers were everywhere.

This was right down the hill from the big white one….It held several family members

This one is also again a locked enclose.  Another young teen, who loved horses and apparently loved Budweiser.

This was a very old grave.  It is a childs bed, and a tree was growing up inside.  A cross is attached to the headboard.

Love the blue tile.  They even installed tile corner pieces and a small covering to shade the head stone.

Decorated for Easter.   See all the Easter eggs on the grave.  Check out all the butterflies on the tree…..

This was the grave of 2 teenage girls.  The bench and the grave stone is made of a pink marble.

We found out later, that the girls were in an accident.  One died immediately, the other lived for 3 months and then passed away.   So Sad.  How had it must be on a family.

This is just a showing how close and how decorated they were.  Lots of palm trees and beautiful foliage.

This is a very old site.  The top of this enclose is covered with vines that have grown this way and just now starting to leaf out, as spring is coming.

You can see how some of the vines have grown and twisted on the bars.

This is a close up of the vine that has grown and twisted around the bars.  It is so so old…..But still it has been decorated for Easter.

This is a close up of another fenced in grave….On this side was a child.  Lots of stuffed animals, and if you look closely on the table, you will see lots of bobbles that dance in the wind.  They had a garden swing in the foreground to swing and spend time with their loved one.

It was just amazing to me to see all the Easter Decorations.  They remember their family members after they have passed.  It is something I know my grandma did, but we have really stepped away from that practice.  We have forgotten our family members.  We really should stop and visit the cemetery’s of our family’s.  Tell our children and Grandchildren about the family history, and who these people are

……Our History is being lost…..