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Gustavo “Gus” Medina Serna, 89, passed away due to natural causes in Tucson on Dec. 3, 2020.
December 3, 2020
He is survived by his wife, Sylvia; daughters, Catherine Downey, Gloria Garrett, Yvonne Serna, and Maria Serna; grandchildren, Davina, Orlando and Gitana; great-grandchildren, Adrianne and Avery; siblings, Adel, Betty, Bernard and Gloria; extended family including cousins, nieces and nephews; and his beloved pets.
Although Gus left Superior to join the Army at 17, and only completed the 11th grade, he was highly trained and skilled in the aerospace sector. One of his proudest endeavors was to return to high school in 1975. There, he earned his G.E.D. and graduated, with cap and gown, as a benchmark for his daughters, so that they would stay in school.
He served in the U.S. Army from 1948 – 1952 and received an Honorable Discharge. He served two of those years stationed in Berlin, Germany, as a member of the US Army Military Police.
Gus had an extensive career in the aerospace sector. He worked for numerous companies in his lifetime, including Weber Aircraft, Lear Siegler, Lockheed, Northrop, and Rockwell International in Palmdale, California while completing his work on the sixth and final space shuttle, Endeavour; and finally retiring from Boeing.
While retired, he loved and cared for animals. He shared his treats with his dogs, rescued lost kittens and fed the birds. He read the newspaper and kept up on all current events. He religiously watched baseball and football, and all his favorite TV shows.
He had lived his adventure. He always said that he had traveled the world and had seen everything he wanted to see.
Although our beloved has passed through the portals of Eternity, his memory will inspire all who mourn his passing to live life as he did.
“As one by one, the autumn leaves fade in the forest deep, So one by one, in each of us must come the touch of sleep. As one by one, the roses burst into the morning light, So one by one, our soul will wake again beyond the night.”
Due to COVID-19, no public services are scheduled at this time.
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