GREGORY, Tx — Kristina Zambrano has scrapbooks full of memories and pictures that she and the rest of her family have to remember their beloved Celestino Zambrano, who passed away May 8.
“We didn’t expect his death so quickly like how it happened. It was a shock to a lot of people in the community,” Zambrano said.
A man of many different roles, Zambrano was a husband, father, friend and leader.
At 74 years of age, Zambrano was able to bring up a family and an entire community, serving as councilmember then mayor for the town of Gregory for 22 years before stepping down in 2020.
“He was here for everybody in this town. If you liked him or not, he was here to serve every single person,” Zambrano said.
Kristina said she grew up in the political scene watching her dad work tirelessly, for his town and its people.
“They didn’t have anyone to write the grants so he wrote that, and you don’t get paid for it but it was never about the money,” Zambrano said. “He grew up poor and he said if I die poor that’s fine too. It was for the people and giving back. One of his biggest accomplishments during that 10-year decade was the Children’s Park.”
Zambrano was also responsible for bringing up the new fire station and City Hall. Even after taking a short break from local government. He just couldn’t stay away.
“Sometimes they would contact him if they wanted him to run or if the city was in trouble financially or things they didn’t know how to do and he would go back in to help fix some things,” Zambrano said.
But everything changed after the pandemic. Focusing more on what was happening at home.
“Even the last night, it was about his family and his grandson. We talked about how if we still had the political life, we wouldn’t have had that,” Zambrano said.
Celestino Zambrano’s rosary’s is scheduled Tuesday from 7 to 8 p.m. in Aransas Pass.
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