Márquez, Rodolfo “Rudy” Calva

Born In Poor Circumstances, He Rose To Become A TVA Electrical Engineer

  • Monday, March 14, 2022
Rodolfo “Rudy” Calva Márquez
Rodolfo “Rudy” Calva Márquez

Rodolfo “Rudy” Calva Márquez, 51, of Hixson, Tennessee, passed away on Wednesday, March 9, 2022.

 

Rudy came from la Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl, outside Mexico City. As he has told it in the past, he was born one notch below low class. Both parents worked, but his family struggled as they didn’t have any money to spare. His dad, Jose Pablo, and he, arrived in 1993 in the United States, and they worked in California and Florida before they arrived in Tennessee. They wanted a chance at a better life, and the possibility of earning enough money to send some home and save some for schooling.

 

When Rudy was 25, his life changed. His boss at the time, a pharmacist in New Market, TN, saw something in him. He spotted potential, a smart mind, and willingness to work. He adopted him as a son and took him under his wing. With the help of the pharmacist and many other supporters, Rudy attended Walters State Community College. He was an outstanding student. He graduated with a 3.98 grade point average in a demanding pre-engineering program. He was named to the Phi Theta Kappa USA Today All-Tennessee Academic Team, a high honor for a community college student. Tennessee Tech offered him a scholarship based on this academic excellence and again he graduated with honors. In 2003, he moved to Chattanooga, TN where the Tennessee Valley Authority hired him as an electrical engineer. 

 

He knew how to play the guitar and enjoyed listening to rock and 80’s music. He met his future wife, Lupita, shortly after moving to the Chattanooga area in 2003. Rudy and Lupita were married in 2005; they were blessed with two amazing sons. You would always find the four of them together; it was his goal of family togetherness.

 

Rudy was a parishioner of St. Jude Catholic Church. His parents instilled in him a devout Catholic faith; his faith gave him strength throughout his life. He was a 4th Degree Knight with the Knights of Columbus, Council #8576. 

 

He is survived by his wife, Lupita (Solis-Ocaña) Márquez, of Hixson; two sons: Adrian and Samuel; mother, Maria de los Angeles, of Mexico; sister, Ernestina Lucia, of Mexico; sister, Isabel (Gilberto), of Hixson; sister, Sofia del Refugio, of Brazil; and brother, Jose Pablo, of Mexico. Unfortunately, Rudy's father, Jose Pablo Sr., passed away the week prior to Rudy's death on March 1, 2022. 

 

Visitation with the family will be on Tuesday, March 15, from 4-7 p.m. at St. Jude Catholic Church with rosary to follow. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, March 16, at 11 a.m., at St. Jude Catholic Church, 930 Ashland Terrace, Chattanooga, TN, with burial to follow afterward. 

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Rudy’s name to St. Jude Catholic Church. 

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