Manuel Corona Jr.

Manuel Corona Jr., age 86 of Alvin, Texas, passed away Monday, July 14, 2025. Manuel was born April 3, 1939 in Galveston, Texas, and had been a resident of Alvin for 40 years. He was a member of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Alvin.

Manuel is preceded in death by his son Mark Steven Corona; parents Manuel Corona and Julia Corona Castillo; brother Robert Corona, and sisters Gloria Limon and Aurora “Dolly” Solis.

Manuel is survived by his wife of 64 years, Leonora; daughters Elizabeth Montgomery and spouse Jeff, and Kathryn Figueroa and spouse Rene; son John Michael Corona; grandchildren Victoria and spouse Kevin, Alexis, Lily, Anna, Rene Jr., and Kevin.

Manuel proudly served his country in the United States Army, stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, and later in Germany. He was a tank commander in the Hell on Wheels: 2nd Armored Division, 2nd Medium Tank Battalion, 37th Armor. Manuel was a history buff with a special interest in world history. He read many history books, and especially loved military history. As a captivating storyteller, he often told about his time in the Army and shared many of his interesting stories about his childhood.

After the Army, he worked for Coca-Cola as a delivery driver, a warehouse worker for M. W. Kellogg, a truck driver for Hill Sand Company, and an 18-wheeler tanker driver for Schneider Trucking. He retired at the age of 55 from the Teamsters Union #988.

Manuel’s greatest passion is his family, and he took great pride in providing for them. He encouraged all his children to go to college, and he always told his children how proud he was of them. Because Manuel always wanted a house large enough for all his children to come home to if they needed, he built their family home on acreage in Alvin. He did all the framing, plumbing, electrical, sheetrock, roofing, and more, as he taught his children these trades. He enjoyed working on cars and anything mechanical. He was a jack-of-all-trades, often joking about having his PhD (post hole digger) hanging proudly in the garage.

Manuel’s greatest joy and happiness was spending time with his children and grandchildren to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, holiday gatherings, or any occasion to celebrate. He was great at telling jokes and always made people happy and laugh with his jokes. His hobbies were going on cruises with his wife Leonora, winning big at Louisiana casinos, and mowing his yard on the riding lawnmower. He enjoyed playing cards with his friends, which spanned a friendship of over 50 years.