HARLINGEN — Friends remembered longtime banker Ed Tamayo as a loving father and husband whose generosity helped ignite Harlingen’s community spirit.
Tamayo died at his home yesterday. He was 86.
“He was a giant in the community,” Mayor Chris Boswell said hours after Tamayo’s death. “I considered him a good friend. He always encouraged me in community service. He encouraged everyone. Even as a banker, a lender, he saw that as a way to encourage people.”
Moe Vela Jr. remembered Tamayo as a role model who helped empower a generation of community leaders.
“The Vela family and the Tamayo family have been family to each other all our lives,” said Vela, son of former Cameron County Judge Moises Vela and brother of Manny Vela, president of Valley Baptist Health System.
“We refer to him as Mr. T,” Vela said. “He played the role of role model and mentor for my brother Manny and I.”
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