Spanish teacher Rene Hinojosa was surrounded by his family’s smiles and laughter on the night of Dec. 7. Of those, his was the biggest. 

He spent the whole night singing and dancing; it was his niece, Mattie Martin’s, quinceañera after all. For his son, Rene Hinojosa Jr., and the rest of the family and friends, joy immediately turned to confusion and concern. Hinojosa was singing “Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)” by Casting Crowns, fitting for a man so devoutly religious.

Soon after, he unexpectedly collapse on the dance floor and there, surrounded by all his loved ones, without explanation, Hinojosa died.

The public is invited to pay respects to Hinojosa on Friday, Dec. 13, and Saturday, Dec. 14, at Calvary Hill Funeral Home from 5-6 p.m.

“He was the life of the room,” Hinojosa Jr. said. “Always making people laugh. He was a real happy, upbeat man. My dad didn’t have a worry in the world. I’m saying he didn’t have a care in the world. He lived such a positive life.”

His Motivation

Hinojosa raised his kids with tough love in the South Texas town of Donna, Texas. Hinojosa instilled discipline and a strong work ethic into his son from a young age: working in crop fields, training him in baseball, football, and basketball and enforcing strict rules. The discipline was tough, but Hinojosa was a loving father. Hinojosa Jr. credits his dad for his personality today.

“He was a real hard worker, bro,” Hinojosa Jr. said. “I’m saying that’s one thing he instilled in me for sure. He told me, ‘No matter what you do, if you need something, you need to work for it,’ You need to work for it, because nothing is given in this world. He made me the person I am today. I’m grateful.”

Hinojosa graduated from Texas State University with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science with a minor in Spanish earning him the title of the first college educated of his 10 siblings. Inspired to teach after a painful divorce, he returned to college, enrolling into the University of Texas-Arlington, then graduated in 2012 with a master’s in administration. In a previous interview, he called this one of his most proud accomplishments, but by far his family remained his proudest. 

“I feel like teaching was a calling because of my three kids that I have and what motivated me,” Hinojosa said at the time. “(I helped) my kids at home when they were growing up with their school work, attending their activities that they did at school, from elementary growing up, being part of my son’s basketball team, my daughter’s Starlettes team, all that stuff got me motivated.”

After graduating he soon met his beloved second wife Loren. He soon moved in with her in Conroe, eventually marrying her and getting her U.S. citizenship. Ever since then has lived in Conroe, working, multiple jobs, but never leaving his spot as one of Caney Creek’s Spanish teacher.

“He was basically someone I could talk to. He’d give you support if you needed it,” sophomore Matthew Fagen said. “(While teaching), he’d make it fun. And if I didn’t seem the same as I normally was, he’d check up on me. He was a nice guy, and he was always just caring about how people felt and if they were doing okay. He genuinely cared about his students.”

Fun, Fitness & Faith

As an advocate of exercise, Hinojosa was active in the school community. Hinojosa Jr. vividly remembers his dad inviting him to participate in a co-ed basketball tournament with teachers and students. In 2016 and 2017, they were champions.

“Man, my dad would always invite me, and I know it’s because he wanted to win it badly,” Hinojosa Jr. said. “I know he was happy I was there. My dad, even ‘til this day, encouraged basketball. He would hit me up and say, ‘Send me videos. Are you still playing basketball?’ He would tell the students, ‘Man, my son will beat all you.’”

Hinojosa was known for his outgoing, funny and overall upbeat personality at the school. He was a devout Christian and, in previous interviews he mentioned God as his daily inspiration. His philosophy was to live for God first.

“I’m thankful to the good Lord,” Hinojosa said. “I don’t think I would be where I’m at if it wasn’t for the Lord, the plans he has for me are incredible. My core values that guide my decisions and actions in life are guided by my faith in God.”

If prayer is a sign of God’s presence, He was everywhere the night of Dec. 7. As the host for Martin’s quinceañera, he preached, sang, danced, and laughed all night surrounded by family. Then the high of family love became a sudden, excruciating low.

 “I mean, everything just came to a halt,” Hinojosa Jr. said. “We tried to give him CPR. I tried to give him chest compressions, but he was just gone.”

In the ambulance, workers said that he died before he arrived at the hospital. The exact cause of death is still unknown, but they suspect an underlying health issue he never told anyone.

“They say that there was nothing we could have done,” Hinojosa Jr. said. “It was one of those things where he needed to be at the hospital, no more than a minute later.”

FOREVER MISSED

Hundreds of students appreciated Hinojosa’s authentic, energetic approach to teaching, seeing him as a trustworthy mentor. This week, students mourned the loss as a community, placing sticky notes with personal experiences on his classroom in memorial.

“I will miss you so much,” wrote one student. “You had a great impact on my life and I thank god for giving me the best teacher/friend. You will forever be missed.”

Hinojosa Jr. underestimated the grief he would feel for his father. Looking back, he regrets not talking to his dad more often.

“I never understood the concept of where people would say, ‘talk to your mom, talk to your dad, because you won’t know what it feels like until you lose them,” Hinojosa Jr. said. “I am now on the other end of that spectrum. I wish I could call him every single day. I wish I could spend more time with him, so many ‘I wishes,’ man. I always told myself that ‘I think I’d be strong enough to accept my dad’s death. I’ll tell you something, I’m not strong enough. Nobody is.”

Even in death, Hinojosa still teaches other through  passed by his family and friends. His obituary described his life as impactful; “resonating through the generations he touched, inspiring and shaping the lives of many, just as he always intended. Serving as an example to live life with enthusiasm and love.”

“He went from working on the fields, watermelons and tomatoes, jalapenos, like picking this stuff, to becoming the first college graduate of his family,” Hinojosa Jr. said. “No matter where you come from, if you strive, and you put faith in God, you can get whatever it is that you want to accomplish.” 

“That’s what my dad always did, and that’s what he always taught.”