Abraham Salvador Ponce

Abraham Salvador Ponce of Arlington died Jan. 23, 2020. He was 88. Services for Abraham will be on Thursday, February 6, 2020 at 12:30 p.m. at Mater Dei Catholic Church, 2030 East State Highway 356, Irving, TX 75060. Burial will follow at Dallas Fort Worth National Cemetery, 2000 Mountain Creek Parkway, Dallas 75211. A native of Clint, Texas, Abe was a husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and son. His favorite role was as grandfather to Timothy, Kirby, Mackenzie, Matthew and Mark. He also loved telling stories - sometimes harrowing - from his service as a helicopter radio crewman in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. Those four years provided some of the most formative experiences of his life. In 1955, he married Jovita Murillo, an Ysleta girl he met on what proved to be a momentous St. Patrick's Day while they were both in high school. Together, they raised three daughters and two sons, making sure their children had the chance to pursue their dreams. Abe loved learning and literature, and he earned a bachelor's and a master's degree attending night school at Texas Western College (now the University of Texas at El Paso). He moved his family from El Paso to Arlington in 1971 but never forgot his roots, always considering himself an El Pasoan from humble beginnings. Professionally, he started out as a technical writer and later spent years commuting to Dallas to work on federal anti-poverty programs then to Denton with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He enjoyed collecting Herb Alpert records, reading the newspaper and many other publications cover to cover and pointing out historical inaccuracies in TV shows and movies. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation or the American Cancer Society. Abraham was preceded in death by his parents, a daughter, Susan Ponce and a brother, Luis Ponce. Survivors include his wife or 64 years, Jovita Ponce; sons, Andrew Ponce and wife, Nada, and Peter Ponce and wife, Denise; daughters, Julie Grondin and Linda Campbell and husband, Geoff; sister, Josephine Lopez and husband, Robert; grandchildren, Timothy Grondin and wife, Melinda, Matthew Ponce, Mark Ponce, MacKenzie Campbell and Kirby Campbell. Wade Family Funeral Home 817-274-9233