Obituary of Jose "Ed" Eduardo Cantu

Jose “Ed” Cantú, 59, a man much loved and liked by so many passed away Saturday, June 26, 2021. He was a loving husband and father, who adored his entire family. Those who knew Ed well knew he rarely would sit back and wait for things to happen. He wasn’t afraid to take a risk – and most likely get what he wanted. That included his wife. On the first date he asked Yvonne to marry him, she accepted and thirty-five years later they were still in love. He had promised her that life with him would never be dull, and it never was. They were each other’s best friend and shared hobbies that brought them even closer. They both began playing soccer at a young age and eventually had a recreational team of their own and competed in tournaments together. They both loved sports and went to many pro-football, baseball, and basketball games as a couple and family. The two events that topped his list was going to the World Cup in Detroit in 1994 and having front row seats behind the bench at a Dallas Cowboys football game. Ed was close with his aunts, uncles, grandparents, and anyone remotely related, no matter how many times removed, was a cousin. Many a friend became “like family”. He deeply loved his siblings and most of all his mother and father. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for them. Ed was an avid angler, fishing every opportunity he could find. Soon, he got Yvonne involved and they would go on guided trips wherever they could, having the time of their lives on the water. He loved being on the water, it brought him peace. His favorite watering hole was Key West; however, Galveston Bay was just fine. At a moment’s notice he was ready with rod, reel, and bait in hand for a trip. Ed especially treasured the trips that he shared with his brother and uncles. Ed had quite an academic career. He attended Texas Christian College, on a scholarship, where he majored in voice and music. Life at TCU wasn’t enough. Ed felt a stronger calling and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. After boot camp, his specialty was being a journalist, both in the States and abroad while stationed in Okinawa, Japan. With an honorable discharge, he returned to the Rio Grande Valley and graduated from Pan American University in 1988 with a degree in Political Science. Throughout his time at Pan Am, Ed’s “can do” attitude rewarded him well with summer scholarships to various universities. He was selected to attend Harvard University one summer for a special program which in turn garnered him the offer to remain a student there on scholarship. Ed declined. He felt his roots were in Texas. Ed’s diligence academically won him one of the first Barbara Jordan Scholar awards. He attended Lyndon Baines Johnson School for Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin on a two-year scholarship to accomplish a master’s degree in public policy. Ed was snapped up quickly after that and began working for the Texas Department of Agriculture. He maintained state statistics and data on the effects of pesticides on workers. This launched him into a career of strategy and planning in advertising. At first Ed was recruited by small companies to study their data and plan strategies to grow their business. In 1995, he moved his family to San Antonio. Ed went to work for Sosa, Bromley and Aguilar agency focusing on Hispanic advertising. He stayed there until a head-hunter lured him to Chicago in 1998 to work for Leo Burnett. Soon, the Ogilvy agency came knocking on his door and made him an offer he could not refuse. While living in Chicago life was filled with fun and the discovery of museums, shows, sports and, of course, snow. He was a Texan at heart, though. Ed, Yvonne, and Victoria had become homesick for family – and TexMex food. In 2003, the family moved back to Texas. Ed went to work for LatinWorks. Work was intense, but the family was happy to be back to the Lone Star State. His work ethic and success lead him to Houston to Lopez-Negrete. While there, Ed was paired with the client Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation. He had other clients, however RBFF was special. They called for bi-annual director’s meetings in places like Miami, Disney World and LA, and there was the bonus of occasional fishing. In attending to all his clients’ needs, Ed raked up so many flying miles, one year he earned a companion pass. For one year, Yvonne and their toy schnauzer Dexter could fly with him for free! It made him incredibly happy to “come home” to his wife and pup each evening. Even if it was a hotel room. Ed worked at a pace that would exhaust most. All the while, he would take the time to share his passion of his career with up-and-coming planners and strategists. He mentored, advised, and guided people that he kept in contact with until his passing. He was happy to be a reference or put someone in touch with an opportunity. People tended to love Ed’s spirit, energy, and well-known humor. He was always quick witted, on the spot with a funny story or joke. He could entertain a couple of co-workers to a roomful of people in Washington D.C. He gave his respect and his attention to the everyday person and to the Secretary of the Interior equally. To Ed, everyone mattered. He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him. Left to cherish Ed’s memory are his mother, Yvonne Chapa and husband, Leonardo; loving wife, Yvonne Cantu; daughter Victoria Marie Cantu; brother Dr. Ramon O. Cantu and wife, Danette; sisters Veronica Yvette Mandes and husband, Reinaldo, Aissa Yvonne Fletcher and husband, Daniel, and a host of other family and friends. Ed is preceded in death by his father Jose Eduardo Cantu Sr. and sister Cynthia Celine Cantu.