Leaving us too soon, Felipe (Fel) Heston departed this earthly plane on Monday, May 13, 2024 from complications related to a recurrence of pancreatic cancer. He succeeded in beating the beast for over two years, savoring life to the fullest during that time.
While not born in Austin, Felipe arrived in his hometown as a baby, moving into a bungalow across the street from his grandparents, Dolores and Felipe Latorre. His mother, also Dolores, raised him as a single mother and was very active in his life. It was just the two of them and they were very close. He was a Little League All Star pitcher and credits his mother for teaching him the baseball basics. Nothing pleased him more than a game with extra innings!
The turning point in his life was his introduction to Alfa Romeo. He started at the ZAP (Zephyr Alfa Paddock) sweeping floors, and just didn’t leave, so they gave him a job. Thus began over fifty years of friendships and mechanical interactions with cars, airplanes and boats, and resulted in a machine design career that was very satisfying to him. He met his wife, Becky, because of a shared interest in Alfa Romeo. As new Alfa owner, friends introduced them so she could have some help with her little Italian car. They drove away from their wedding a few years later in a 1967 Duetto and would have celebrated 44 years of marriage this year.
One of the happiest episodes of his life was spent building their two houses in Belize with his dear friend Raul Young. While Raul passed in 2022, the beautiful Belize houses live on; he last visited in March. His other joy was driving the track at Harris Hill Raceway, and luckily his visits to Harris Hill continued until the week before his passing. He lived a charmed life, and he was grateful.
He is survived by his wife, Becky Heston, his sister Suzy Sauls, his special nephew Morgan Humphrey, his special friend, Erica Cook, the beloved BiBi, and many nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews and his Oregon cousins. Also missing him are a host of friends in Austin and Belize.
There will be a Celebration of Life on Saturday, June 22. For more information, please email [email protected] or text Becky.
Memorials may be made to Pancreatic Action Network/pancan.org or Caring Bridge.