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Eulojio "Lokie"
Perez
Carrollton &
Farmers Branch
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1967 The
Roar
R. L. Turner High School
Carrollton, Dallas Co., Texas
Freshman Class |
OBITUARY
 Eulojio
"Lokie" Perez
AUGUST 14, 1950 – NOVEMBER 1, 2023
“I have to tell you, I’m a very lucky man.”
Anyone who knew Eulojio “Lokie” Perez for any amount of time would hear
this phrase from him as he praised his life as a proud father,
grandfather, husband, brother, and son. It’s no coincidence that Lokie
passed away on All Saints Day - November 1, 2023, full of love, family,
and peace, which is exactly as he would have wanted to leave this world.
He was indeed a very lucky man.
Lokie was born August 14, 1950, to the late Juan Perez and Alicia
Saldivar in Robstown, TX. The son of migrant workers from Mexico
instilled in him the importance of hard work and gave him a deep desire
to dream big about his life. Working with his father in cotton fields
and selling crops out of the back of the family’s car brought him and
their family to the Dallas area, ultimately making a home in
Carrollton/Farmers Branch. Lokie loved his siblings and took pride in
each of them – Janie, Johnny, Hilda, Gloria, Jeannie, and the late
Beneslada “Lala”. Being the eldest boy in a family of seven kids kept
him on his toes and he was undeniably a mama’s boy. The family grew up
on Wicker Street in Dallas where Lokie would meet his lifelong childhood
best friend, Ruben, who (without coincidence) passed away earlier this
year. These lifelong jokesters are undoubtedly sitting in heaven today
enjoying Waffle House and cigarettes together.
Throughout his life, Lokie reinvented himself time and time again.
Growing up during the Vietnam War impacted Lokie so much that he left
high school at 17 years old to join the Army. It was here that he
learned about leadership that would serve him so well throughout his
life. Lokie advanced quickly in the Army, becoming a Sergeant in the
82nd Airborne. Drafted twice to go to war, Lokie was rerouted to West
Point Academy in New York to become an instructor. He had over 200 jumps
during his time in the military and loved to joke that he did it all for
the extra pay it provided. Lokie was honorably discharged and decorated
with the National Defense Service Medal, Parachute Badge, and Good
Conduct Medal. Most of us still cannot believe Lokie would have received
anything with the title “good conduct.”
It was also during this time that Lokie met Robin, the mother of his
children, and relocated to Fort Bragg, NC for the remainder of his term
in the Army. They returned to Carrollton where they were married for 27
years and raised five children – Lokie Jr, Scotty, Mandye, Monica, and
Robert. It was during these years that his children would learn so much
about their dad. He boldly declared that “pizza is a snack,” that he
hated chocolate, but his favorite cake was a German chocolate one, that
Frosted Flakes cereal is a staple, and that green beans would be
required at every meal. His kids have never seen him without a moustache
except for one time when he got carried away with the trimmers. And
still, some of the kids decided they would wait until it grew back in
before seeing him in such a strange state. Lokie was a loving father,
and his kids have great childhood memories of Penny Whistle Park, his
love of breakfast, and how he turned his Ocean Pacific (OP) flip flops
into LP flip flops stating, “you bought the shoes with the wrong
initials for me.”
After leaving the military, Lokie would go on to do whatever it took to
take care of his family. He stepped into the automotive paint and body
world where he taught himself to paint cars. As usual, he quickly moved
up to become an assistant body repair person and learned all about the
automotive industry. Within a few years, he opened Perez Paint & Body
Shop in Farmers Branch with his father and brother, Johnny. The shop was
a dream for Lokie and was very successful. He later decided to leave the
shop for an opportunity at Henry Butts Oldsmobile as an Assistant Body
Shop Manager. He would help design and establish the dealership at the
new location in Carrollton, which now houses Prince of Peace Lutheran
School. Continuing his career movement, Lokie then went on to be the
Service Manager at Reliable Chevrolet in Richardson.
Lokie was known for overcoming the impossible. At 40 and just weeks
before his oldest son’s wedding, he had a heart attack and a
double-bypass surgery. He refused to allow that to slow him down – you
would find him two weeks later, dancing with his daughter-in-law, Grace,
at their wedding. Lokie was always doing things that defied expectation,
it’s how he lived his life.
Always reinventing himself, Lokie would dive into a whole new industry
following his divorce. He worked with his brother-in-law at Longhorn
Foundation Repair before creating his own company – Cornerstone
Foundation Repair in the early 2000s. It was during this time he also
met and married his love, “Chacha” – Irene Loera Perez. She and her
three daughters, Brenda, Karla, and Blanca would expand Lokie’s world to
become a beautiful, blended family. Lokie loved the girls as his own and
was affectionately referred to as Padre.
Lokie took great pride in establishing and running Cornerstone
Foundation with his sons. He was known as a hard worker and jokester to
his clients. When asked for potential senior discounts from potential
clients he would challenge them by asking why they were asking a senior
for a senior discount. He had a high standard for service for his
clients and his sons will continue his legacy through their work across
the Metroplex.
Lokie found some of his greatest joys in his grandchildren – Katie,
Emily, Freddy Jr, KC, Justin, Nathan, Ryan, Jacob, Stephen, Sofia, Isla,
Vivian, Lilly, Mark, Mason, and the newest edition – Daphne. His great
grandchildren – Everleigh and Adrian will be told the great stories of
Grandpa/Abuelo and how he was deemed "The Most Interesting Man in the
World” with pictures to prove it. His grandchildren will remember Lokie
for his thoughtful gifts from estate sales, calling on their birthdays
pretending to be Big Bird, and for always showing up early and never on
time.
Lokie will be properly interred with full military honors and laid to
rest at Hilltop Cemetery, joining his mother and father. Services will
be held Monday, November 13, 2023 at 9:30 AM at Mary Immaculate Church
in Farmers Branch.
Lokie leaves behind a life that was fully lived in every way imaginable.
What a life. What a story. What a legacy.
He was, after all, a very lucky man. |
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