Ezra U. Castro (May 31, 1979 – May 14, 2019) Ezra Uriel Castro, 39, known to many as “Pancho Billa” – the extreme sports fan of the Buffalo Bills, lost his valiant battle with cancer at 9:15 a.m. Tuesday, May 14, 2019. A viewing/visitation will be Saturday, May 18, 2019 from 4:30 – 7:30 p.m. at Christ Church, 1750 East Airport Freeway in Irving, TX 75062. Visitors at the visitation are asked to come in Sports attire.
Wear your favorite team’s jerseys and t-shirts. Another visitation will be from 4:00 – 9:00 p.m. Tuesday, May 21, 2019 at Sunset Funeral Homes – Americas, 9521 North Loop Drive, El Paso, TX 79907. The funeral will be at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, May 22, 2019 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 1212 Sumac Drive, El Paso, TX 79925.
He was born in El Paso, TX on May 31, 1979 and was raised in a small family of three brothers and parents who love him dearly. Ezra played football through most of his young years into his high school years, helping to bring the first district championship to Riverside High School in his senior year 1997. Ezra simultaneously graduated from high school and from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints seminary.
He embraced all types of music, dancing and all types of sports. Early in his college years, Ezra majored in communications and developed a passion to be a disc jockey on the radio. One day, while attending a friend’s wedding, his career path changed during a conversation with a local funeral director.
Within two months of the wedding, Ezra was enrolled in mortuary school at the Dallas Institute of Funeral Services. In May of 2002, Ezra graduated from mortuary school where he was the recipient of the prestigious Bill Pierce Award for his class and was a member of the Pi Sigma Eta National Morticians Fraternity. By July of 2002 he was employed by Donnelly’s Colonial Funeral Home in Irving, Texas.
During his almost 17-year tenure, He has maintained a professional status within the Irving community and local churches. He is well known and respected by other funeral homes, funeral home vendors, and by local church leaders. He has been an active member of NFDA (National Funeral Directors Association), TFDA (Texas Funeral Directors Association) and Dallas County Funeral Directors Association since joining Donnelly’s.
Ezra’s belief in serving families with integrity and empathy is at the heart of everything he does. His manager, Mike Korzenewski, says of Ezra, “Ezra was a ray of sunshine with all he came in contact. From the moment I met him, I knew he was a special guy.
His kind spirit was a comfort to all families he served. From his ability to duplicate and perfect each technique I showed him in the preparation room, to meeting with families in their darkest hour, and to conduct a service in exact detail flawlessly at the same time being patient and pleasant with his co-workers. Knowing it takes teamwork to accomplish most tasks in our profession, he definitely was a team player with a humble but confident demeanor.
In my forty-six-year career, I’ve never seen anyone able to do restorative work or just normal preparation work any better. He served every family with the same confidence, kindness and authentic caring, whether they are rich or poor. I was proud to have him on our staff”.
Among his various life roles, he and his long-time girlfriend Veronica Borjon have two small children, seven-year-old Ginobili, and three-year-old Lourdes “Loulu” who call Ezra “Dad”. Becoming a family man is a role that he embraced wholeheartedly. Outside of his profession, he is also known in the NFL world as super-fan, Pancho Billa, a self-proclaimed mega-supporter of the Buffalo Bills football team in New York.
Attending home and away games had also become a family activity. In 2011, Pancho Billa was inducted into the Pro Football’s Ultimate Fan Association in Canton, Ohio, home of the NFL Hall of Fame. Ezra took to heart the mission of the association, “To promote the fellowship of all fans, encourage sportsmanship, and support charitable activities”.
Development of the character of Pancho Billa shows a side of Ezra’s creativity that has won over the fan base and organization of the Buffalo Bills. Countless charitable activities, time spent on the road, and supporting fan-engaging organizations such as Fans Against Child Abuse and NFL Go Gold for Childhood Cancer Awareness, among numerous others that have strengthened because of the character, are all part of Ezra’s commitment to helping others and supporting his favorite team. In November 2017, Ezra was startled by a diagnosis of a metastatic cancer that immediately changed his outlook on life and tested his strong faith.
He had major surgery in December and faced a long recovery that involved chemotherapy, radiation and physical therapy. He credits his work as Pancho Billa and as a local Funeral Director for the outpouring of support for him from all parts of the USA and the world including Germany, Iceland, Italy, and Mexico just to name a few countries. Today’s social media has made it easier than ever to help spread the word and join hearts to support Ezra in his recovery.
#PanchoPower went viral within hours of his on-line announcement of cancer. Ezra had returned to work in February 2019 at the funeral home and resumed his responsibilities as a Funeral Director and his long-time commitment to serving families while continuing to have intermittent treatments. In lieu of flowers, his family requests backpacks and school supplies be sent to the visitation 4:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 18, 2019 at Christ Church, 1750 East Airport Freeway in Irving TX 75061.
Memorials may be made to TheTeacher’sDesk.org. Each 10$ donation will allow a teacher to be able to shop for $1000. 00 in free school supplies and books.
(hashtag #PanchosPack) We pray for God’s comfort for all of his family, his children, Ginobili, Lourdes “Loulu”, their mother Veronica Borjon, his parents, Jaime Castro and Aurora Martinez of El Paso; his three brothers, Jaime Tizoc Castro, Zenoc Omni Castro, and Eleazar Israel Castro, all of Dallas; niece, Briana Versace Castro and her son Noah Anthony Norez of El Paso; aunts Vangie Martinez and Beatrice Perez of El Paso; uncle Jose I. Sanchez and his wife Phoebe of El Paso; cousins; his Bill’s mother, “Grandma J” Joanie Dekoker of Syracuse, New York; and his God-children, Dasani Martinez, Zyenna Martinez and Jayden Huerta all of El Paso. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Ezra U. Castro please visit our Sympathy Store.
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