DR. HECTOR DEL CASTILLO
1924-2020
Hector del Castillo, Sr, M.D. passed away peacefully on March 31, 2020. He was preceded in death by his wife of 71 years, Itze Ruano del Castillo, his son, Dr. Gilbert del Castillo, his grandson, 1st Lt Dimitri del Castillo, his parents & brother respectively Rodolfo del Castillo Mascarenas, Maria Patrocinio Moreno del Castillo, & Rodolfo del Castillo Moreno. Dr. del Castillo is survived by his daughter, Itze(Sergio) Lebrija, his sons, Dr. Hector(Barbie) del Castillo, Jr and Carlos(Catherine) del Castillo, daughter-inlaw, Lynne del Castillo, 9 surviving grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren. ‘Dr. Hector’ graduated from the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico in Mexico City . For his Social Service obligation, he was assigned to a mountain village in Zacatecas where he was the only doctor. He’d make house calls on horseback with his pistol for protection. While there, he delivered his first son.
In 1952, he came to Houston and was accepted into two OB/Gyn residency programs, first with Methodist Hospital and then with
St. Joseph’s Hospital. Upon completion, he was granted a fellowship in surgery and pathology at M.D. Anderson. He often said that he “was fortunate to be invited to join the practice of Dr. David Wacksman and Dr. John Wall. They were Chiefs of Staff in their respective departments at Methodist Hospital and it was an honor to be associated with them.”Dr. del Castillo practiced OB/ GYN in the Texas Medical Center for 40 years and was an important figure in the development of an environment which welcomed the Hispanic patient to Houston. Aside from his thousands of deliveries and surgeries, he was also active in teaching and research having been responsible for numerous papers for National and International journals. He was a Clinical Assistant Professor with Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas. In later years, he taught at the UT Medical Branch in Conroe with the Family Practice program. Volunteering was important for him as he worked at the Eastwood Clinic, Houston City Health Department, Crown of Texas Hospice, St. Elizabeth Hospital and Ben Taub. As a member of the Lake Conroe Rotary Club, he was Chairman of the International Committee and successfully raised funds for an ambulance and meds for Leukemia treatments in Monterrey, Mexico. These efforts resulted in saving dozens of children’s lives. In recognition of his work, he was honored with the Paul Harris Award through the Rotary Club International. Honors and memberships included being a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, a member of the prestigious Felix Rutledge Society, Houston Surgical Society, President of the Houston GYN and OB Society (76-77), American Fertility Society, and American Association of Gynecological Laparoscopists. Dr. del Castillo was active in the early Hispanic social culture of Houston including serving as President of both Mexico Bello and Sembradores de Amistad. He and his wife, Itze, were instrumental in founding Club Eleven. Known as “Papi” to his family, he was an excellent Dancer, Golfer and Tennis player and won many tournaments and awards in his day. His other passions were Bible studies and singing. He was known for praying with his patients before surgery. At age 95 he was active in organizing the Choir at Holly Hall Retirement Community. Papi was a loving, giving person who taught many the love of the Lord by his actions. He will be greatly missed. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Hector and Itze’s favorite charities, Helping Hands of Conroe, Texas or Special Operations Warrior Foundation, in memory of their grandson, 1st Lt. Dimitri del Castillo, U.S. Ranger, who was killed in Afghanistan. htttps://www. cftampabay.org/castillo/
A celebration of life mass will be held at a later date.