Ramon "Pancho" Arguelles (1929 - 2013)

Arguelles, Ramon ("Pancho") Ramon ("Pancho") Arguelles, beloved coach, teacher, mentor, gentleman and friend, died Jan 6 at age 84.

Born in Cuba, he moved to the U.S. in the 50s, where he served in the U.S. Army and graduated from SMU. He taught Spanish and coached tennis for 28 years at S. Oak Cliff, W.T.White and Skyline high schools, and spent summers managing pools at the Stoneleigh Hotel, S.Oak Cliff Country Club and Dallas Athletic Club. He was a tough but fair teacher, expecting (some would say demanding) the best and fervently believing in his students. Walk with Ramon thru NorthPark mall, and at least one person to whom he taught Spanish or tennis or how to swim would all but tremble with excitement at seeing him.

Ramon, baptized at Prestonwood Baptist as an adult, loved children, politics, tennis, a good argument, plants, birds, red wine...and us. He made a killer sangria; his green salads at Thanksgiving and fruit salads on Christmas Eve were legendary among the Barker family, to whom he truly belonged. His were the only gifts we could open Christmas Eve; we didn't open Santa's till Ramon arrived the next day. As we grew up, our children became his grandchildren; our milestones his. We miss him and are thankful our lives were so entwined.

He is survived by the Barker, Garcia, Munguia and Wilgus families, who thank everyone at Loyd's of Dallas and Hospice Plus for the loving care he received. Ramon didn't want a service, but memorials in his name may be made to YMCA's Make a Splash program (ymcadallas.org), which provides swimming lessons to children who otherwise wouldn't have access to them.

Published in Dallas Morning News on January 9, 2013