Tomas Castro

After living a full life on earth, Tomas Castro arrived at his heavenly home on February 25, 2025. He was 90 years old. He was born on November 2, 1934 in the small town of Wilcox, Texas (Burleson County) into the loving arms of Hilario and Herminia Castro.

There are many words that family and friends use to describe Tom, such as witty, hard-working, athletic, dedicated, and heroic. But perhaps the word that sticks out the most is servant-hearted.

Tom followed the teachings of his parents and accepted the Lord Jesus Christ into his heart at an early age. He loved going to church and singing in the choir. As a young man, he led the singing in his home church in Fort Worth. After high school, he joined the army and made it a priority to find and become active in churches wherever he was stationed. He also made sure to join the choir.

He entered the military as a private, but advanced in the ranks as others noticed his servant-leadership abilities. He attended Officer Training School and eventually retired as a major for the United States Army. His intentions were to “fly a fixed wing,” but Vietnam became a reality. True to form, he stepped up where he was needed. He became a helicopter pilot and was tasked with flying into battlefields to carry injured men away. Tom served three tours in Vietnam and was one of the blessed men who came home uninjured. This reality was never lost on him, and he lived his life with zeal and joy as a testament to the eternal gratitude he carried in his heart.

Tom was a competitive athlete who enjoyed an intense game of racquetball until the age of 82. He was fit enough to have continued playing but drew the line when those who he had taught how to play the game were now beating him. With a simple “I don’t like that,” he hung up his racquet that served as a trophy to the many tournaments he had won. As a young man, he won the Golden Gloves boxing championship in Fort Worth. He was also a runner, and even with the physical adjustments he had to make as he entered his last few years, he still managed to work out three days a week and do senior yoga two days a week.

Tom loved the Lord, and was the first to volunteer when a need arose in church. He was a youth Sunday school teacher for many years at Meadows Baptist Church where he also served as a greeter and usher. At Mineral Wells Baptist Church, he served as a deacon and as a teacher in the adult Hispanic Class. 

Always one to stay active, he volunteered every day at Lakewood Elementary School and was recognized by the district and state for his many volunteer hours. He loved field day at the school where he manned his favorite booth and became affectionately known as “The Taco Man.”

Of course, getting him to participate in these activities wasn’t difficult at all, as long as someone brought along a watermelon to entice him. That always did the trick.

To earn a little extra money in his retirement, he was a driving school instructor, a maintenance building manager, and worked for 10 years at the Texas State Fair managing one of the larger buildings. He also was a job coach for Phoenix House, where he assisted those with addictions by training them and helping them find jobs.

Tom lived his life is such a way that everyone around him could see how much he loved God, his family, and his country. He wasn’t a rich man, but he gave much more than money to those around him. He gave of himself.

The family would like to thank Rev. John Meador for serving as a pastor and friend both at their current church, Cross City Baptist Church (formerly First Baptist Euless) and at their former church MacArthur Baptist Church in Irving. 

Tom is survived by his loving and supportive wife of 38 years, Dorothy (Dottie) Castro and his younger brother Marcos Castro. Other beloved survivors include: Son Steve Castro; daughter Carrie Scruggs (James); son Mike Miller (Karen); and daughter Susan Wakefield (Brian); grandchildren Tannah Overall (Jonathan), Jennah Vogel (Paul), Alyssa Scruggs, Tyler Wakefield, Ivy Miller, and Reed Miller; great-granddaughter Shea Vogel; former daughter-in-law Marci Wilson; and numerous nieces and nephews and great-nieces and great-nephews.

He is preceded in death by his son Michael Castro, parents Hilario and Herminia Castro, brothers Joe (Nell) Castro, and Johnny Castro, and sisters Rachel (Moses) Perales, Valentina (Robert) Lerma, and Aseneth Castro.

A void will be felt by all who were blessed to have Tom in their lives. We find comfort and a little smile thinking about how he flew his last mission into heaven in his helicopter just in time for choir practice. 

Well done, good and faithful servant. Well done.