"Dad...I find myself crying, laughing and missing all at the same time...There are no words to describe how much I love and miss you. You are forever in my heart. I draw strength knowing you are finally reunited with mom. If I am blessed, I?ll be seeing you again..."
In loving memory of
Erwin A. Maio
June 3, 1937 - July 15, 2020
Erwin Maio passed away peacefully in his sleep, July 15th, 2020. He was a Christian, accepting Christ as his Lord and Savior, and is joyfully rejoined with his beloved wife, Lillie Maio. They were joined in marriage in 1956, in Lillie's hometown of Gatesville, Texas. Erwin was a devoted husband to Lillie for 44 years. He cherished and cared for her in their home until she passed in November 2000. She was and always will be his only true love and wife.
Erwin was born on 03 June 1937, in New Haven, Connecticut, to parents, Andrew Maio and Sayre Romanoff, and one sister, who are all predeceased. He was also blessed with a loving relationship with his in-laws and extended family.
After an honorable discharge from service in the United States Air Force, Erwin was appointed to the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) as an Electronic Maintenance Tech GS-7 in 1960. In that capacity, he helped with the installation of the radar system at the Robert Mueller Municipal Airport, Austin, Texas. Following his FAA stint, he had a long career of 32 years in civilian service with the Department of the Army that included many assignments out of Fort Hood, Texas, to South Korea for one year, Germany for three years, back to South Korea for two years, then a detour with a successful, privately-owned venture. Signing on again at Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey, for two years, back to Fort Hood, then on to Fort Polk, Louisiana, for a short strategic assignment, returning to Fort Hood where he retired in 1993. During his career he was the Acting Army Material Command Logistics Chief of the U.S. Central Region during Desert Shield/Desert Storm supporting the Army; the U.S. Search and Rescue and the U.S. National Guard; the Army Materials Command Rep for the Apache Training Brigade; the Directorate of Material Management at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey; and the U.S. Army Electronics Command Equipment Specialist and Signal Advisor/Technical Advisor to the Republic of Korea Army Signal Depot. He received the Commander Award and Superior Civilian Award for Outstanding Performance of Duties.
Erwin's affiliations and special interests:
*Chairman of the Board of the Food Pantry at Bannockburn Baptist Church, generously serving with an
amazing group of Christ's servants
*Deacon at Bannockburn Baptist Church, Member of Men's Bible Study, Assisted with Military Boxes to
Afghanistan, Volunteer at Vacation Bible School, Substitute Teacher for Children's Sunday
School, Evangelism
*Upsilon Lambda Phi member of Tau Chapter
*Loved watching sports! Favorite fan of Dallas Cowboys, Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs, New
York Yankees, season ticket holder for UT Baseball, UT Women's Basketball, but watched all UT
sports
*Loved listening to many genres of music including christian hymns and operas, and especially
soundtracks from the "Chorus Line"; and would belt out an amazing Pavarotti "Nessum Dorma", or Frank Sinatra's "Start Spreading the News"
*Loved dancing with his wife Lillie, especially to Etta James "At Last", along with many, many others
*If you were willing to get beat, he played a mean card game and domino game (42)!
*If you visited him at home, you can bet he was outside working on his yard
Charities that Erwin supported included, but not limited to, were:
*International Fellowship of Christians and Jews
*Hagee Ministries
*Turning Point Ministries
* Disabled American Veterans
*Wounded Warrior's Program
*St. Jude's Children's Hospital (in honor our Lillie's request)
Erwin and Lillie were lovingly devoted parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents to: *Denise Hoffmann, husband Daniel Hoffmann, grandchild Jennifer Olivarez, husband Quentin Olivarez, great-grandchildren Trace and Ryler Olivarez, grandchild Ashley Hoffmann, *David Maio, wife Melissa Maio, grandchild Nicholas David Maio, *George Maio, *Rebecca Hinojosa, husband Steven Hinojosa, grandchild Stephanie Curtis, husband Wayne Curtis, great-grandchild Mason Curtis; grandchild Michael Hinojosa, wife Hannah Hinojosa, great-grandchild Luke Hinojosa. After Lillie's passing, Erwin continued to be the family's heart and soul. He loved them all, and each was special to him in their own way. It was his tradition to make sure that he gave each baby their very first taste of ice cream!
While raising their four children, Gatesville, Texas, was the family home base during Erwin's service that took the family all over the world. With family in-tow, it was the best of times no matter where it took him, and he always made it an exciting adventure! Erwin and Lillie made many lasting friendships during their years together, and Erwin continued to enjoy people wherever he went. When Erwin entered a room, you knew it. He was filled with the Fruit of the Spirit and brought love, compassion and joy with him. And if you know Erwin, then you know that he loved people, telling jokes and being the funny one, so he would always say, "I'll tell the jokes"!
The family invites you to view the pictures and videos at Harrell Funeral Home website, Obituary Section, under "Photos and Videos" for Erwin A. Maio. The website also gives the viewing guests the opportunity to leave a tribute of their own. Thank you for celebrating the life of our father. God bless you all, The Maio Family
Funeral Arrangements: July 21st, 2020 @ 1:00pm
Bannockburn Baptist Church, 7100 Brodie Lane, Austin, TX
Gravesite immediately following
Austin Memorial Park Cemetery, 2800 Hancock Drive, Austin, TX
Tributes
"Thoughts an prayers ? are with you and your family .So sorry for your lost Amen.Dolly and Richard Hatfield??"
"God By Daddy I will miss you more than I ever thought was possible....But knowing you are with Momma again makes it easier for me to bare the pain of not having you here with us. Please let us know you are together again if you can.....Rest Now Daddy. Your Loving Son, David Michael Maio"
"I loved viewing the photo memories of Erwin. Its plain to see what an incredible husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather he was. Im thankful how he loved and served our country so well for so many years.......... A life well lived on earth. An extraordinary life he now lives in heaven!"
"Prayers for the family."
"I first met Erwin when his wife joined our Bible Study class at Bannockburn Baptist Church. His love for her was obvious, and we all grieved with him when she went to Heaven and he was left to live his life without her. But live his life he did! What a joy it was to see how Erwin grew in his faith and surrendered his life to service for Christ, blessing others in countless ways. His laughter and hugs were also a blessing - often, even when his health had him feeling poorly - he made jokes ... and continued to give out hugs. He took great delight in his family, was so proud of them, and always looked forward to time spent with them. I will always remember Erwin\'s smile and spirit, and I am so thankful for the many years of friendship we shared."
"To my father-in-law & sports buddy, We always enjoyed watching the Cowboys & Longhorns together, always offering that cold beer sitting in the fridge. At his passing, he had that one beer left in his fridge, I figured he left it for me to toast his life, so \"here\'s to a good man & a great father-in-law who punched his ticket to the big show getting the best seat in the house. Now he\'s with God, and the Lord will have his hands full!\" Steve Hinojosa "
"Miss you Daddy! You're in my heart always."