Jose Guadalupe Calderón, 62, of Denton passed away on February 21st, 2023, surrounded by his family at his home. He was a beloved husband, father, brother, and friend.

Jose was the first born son of Juan Antonio Calderón and Salustia Arteaga. He was born on December 27, 1960 in Siete Reales, a ranch in Dolores Hidalgo in the state of Guanajuato, in México. He was the oldest of seven children, Jose, Oscar, Martin, Gerardo, María, Yolanda, and Juan Manuel. His love of mathematics was nurtured as he worked alongside his father in the corn fields. He was around three when his father taught him to count kernels of corn as they planted. Nature and science were part of his soul from early in life.

For many years, his father was a migrant worker in the north and Jose would often accompany him in that work. Before that though, one of his earliest memories was his first toy from the north – a very big truck. To his father's dismay, he took it apart! And thus began his life of experimentation. This love of exploration and learning led to a life of education.

The family moved from the ranch to town. During this period, he helped his mother bake and sell "pan dulce" to support the family. They then moved to Matamoros, where Jose completed high school. He attended Texas Southmost College in Brownsville until his family moved to Alpine, Texas. At that point, he transferred to Sul Ross State University and completed his BS in Chemistry in 1987. He moved to Denton to continue his graduate education, where he received a PhD in 1994 at the University of North Texas.

It was at the University of North Texas that he met the love of his life, Alicia Re Cruz. They married on December 17, 1994, at their home, Villa Lupita, in Denton. They had a second ceremony on January 7, 1995 in Alcorcón in Madrid, Spain. That was how much he loved her, he would have married her every day. Their life was full of love. They have three beautiful sons of whom Jose was very proud, Samuel, Gabriel, and Daniel. As a family they created a warm and nurturing home for all they knew. They also traveled and played a lot of soccer. Jose was always cheering, coaching, guiding, and loving them. Jose worked in the Chemistry lab at UNT. Over the years, Jose and his family created and supported programs serving students, UNT and the Latino community.

He was a person of few words, however, the words he spoke were profound. He had a spiritual strength and a healing touch. Whenever he wanted to express a "consejo", he did it with stories and metaphors, mostly from nature. Jose often spoke of rain, light, soil, birds and trees. He leaves us with the metaphor of a seed. To grow we must have fertile soil and tend to the seedlings with care and responsibility. May we all tend to one another in his memory.

He is survived by his wife, Alicia Re Cruz of Denton, sons, Samuel Re Calderón of Denton, Gabriel Re Calderón of Denton, Daniel Re Calderón of Denton, sisters, Yolanda Calderón and María Burchard, brothers, Martin Calderón, Gerardo Calderón, and Juan Manuel Calderón.

He was preceded in death by his mother and father, and brother, Oscar Calderón.

The Memorial Service for Jose Guadalupe Calderón will be held on Sunday, March 5, 2023, at 1:00 PM in the Chapel of DeBerry Funeral Directors.