Abel Erasmo Ortega

REVEREND ABEL ERASMO ORTEGA

Abel Ortega was born March 4, 1941 and walked into heaven on February 19, 2019 at the age of 77. After a short battle with pancreatic cancer, Abel passed with his wife of 55 years by his side, holding his hand.Abel was born in Monterrey, Mexico, and raised on the west side of San Antonio. Abel earned  his U.S. citizenship and proudly served in the Army for three years during the Vietnam War, he was stationed in Germany.  After his service to our country, Abel married the love of his life, Rachel Treviño in 1964.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in theology and went on to pastor several churches in Fort Worth and San Antonio. During the 1970’s, Abel was the executive director and minister of the T.O.U.C.H. program, a faith-based methadone clinic. He consistently put his faith into action by working with, befriending, and helping addicts recover from addiction.  Many whom he helped were homeless, lonely, and suffering.  Abel believed he was there to do God’s will and did his best to offer aid and consolation for those living with addiction. During this time Abel became the head evangelist of T.I.M.E. for Christ Medical Mission group until the mid 1990’s. He worked tirelessly as a dedicated liaison between the organization and government entities in Mexico. Abel spent many years traveling to remote areas of Mexico with his family, making lifelong connections with rural communities. Abel went on to receive two master’s degrees, one in theology and one in psychology. He was a licensed professional counselor and a licensed marriage and family therapist. For several years he worked for Christian organizations, Minirth and Meir-Tunnel and Wilson, and Rapha before starting his own counseling group in San Antonio, Adonai Christian Counseling. In 1992 Abel and his wife, Rachel, moved to McAllen where Ortega and Associates and the Ask Abel radio program were born and thrived. Abel loved to sing, play his guitar, shoot nerf guns with his grandkids, listen to Adventures in Odyssey, and he loved his wife Rachel up until his last breath.

Abel is survived by his beloved wife of 55 years Rachel T. Ortega, his children Capri (Ingo) Tophoven, Jacob (Leah) Ortega, and Amber (Brady) Ortega, and his grandchildren, Lukas, Katharina, and Annika Tophoven, Topiltzin, Izel, and Xilotzin Perez. His older sister Carolina Ortiz, brothers-in-law Charles Herrera, David Treviño (Yolanda), Rev. Dan Treviño (Paulette), and sisters in law Jane Jones (Charles), Eleanor Molina (Sam), Ruth Ann Treviño, and Eunice Treviño, Pauline Ortega and Estella Treviño and many nephews and nieces. He is preceded in death by his parents, Daniel Ortega and Elisa Marquez Ortega; siblings, Delia Diaz, Febe Herrera, Daniel Ortega Jr., Horace Ortega, and Reynaldo Ortega. Brother in law’s Jesse Ortiz and Alfred Treviño and parents in law, Jesus Maria Treviño and Juanita Treviño.

A memorial service in Abel’s honor will be held at Baptist Temple, 2001 Trenton Rd, McAllen, on March 14th, viewing begins at 5:00 p.m. with the service at 6:00 p.m., Dr. Ingo Tophoven will officiate. In lieu of flowers we are asking for gifts to help Rachel, Abel's widow, relocate to San Antonio and transition to assisted home health care. Please write your gift to Baptist Temple and on the "for" line, Rachel Ortega.

Pallbearers: Jacob Ortega, Dr. Ingo Tophoven, Lukas Tophoven, Topiltzin Perez, Annika Tophoven, Roland Ortiz, Febe Belinda Swatlowski 

Graveside service will be at 1 p.m. Friday March 15, 2019, at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas with full military honors. Thank you to all of Abel and Rachel’s dear friends and family members for helping and loving Abel’s wife, children, and grandchildren through this difficult time. Thank you to Amara Hospice for the great care they gave our dad in his last days.

Funeral services are under the direction of Legacy Chapels in Edinburg.