Antonio Pinto Rodrigues

Antonio Manuel Pinto Rodrigues passed away Tuesday, February 19, 2013 in Graham, Texas.
A memorial service will be held in Graham at the St. Mary's Catholic Church Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. Arrangements are under the direction of Morrison Funeral Home of Graham. His final resting place will be in his birth town of Sande, Portugal, where the grave-side service will be held.

Antonio was born on September 14, 1947 in Sande, Lamego, as the only child to his loving parents Irene and Manuel. Already in his early years, Antonio was a very passionate and driven man, who would go on to fulfill his dreams of a free world that would grow through development.

His strong character and leadership already started to unfold during his student years in Lisbon, where he was awarded his Masters in Business Administration from the Lisbon Technical University, while partaking in the very initial student movements that would lead to a democratic Portugal. And, while fighting for Portugal's dreams on the paved streets of Lisbon, he still managed to obtain his Doctorate in Political and Social Sciences from the same University.

But "liberating" Portugal was not enough for him and, after serving as a Captain in the Portuguese army, his drive and passion led him to Guinea-Bissau where he was responsible for the transfer of powers to the new independent Government.

This positive experience fueled his desire to do even more, and Antonio went to Sao Tome and Principe, where he became the Chief of the very first group of cooperants. These years would change his life forever, as he discovered his passion for teaching through his work with young people, and where he met the love of his life Dee Constance McCarroll. While in Sao Tome and Principe he published poetry written by the country's youth; Antologia Poetica Juvenil de S. Tome e Principe.

Life further surprised Antonio, when he went to Vienna as one of the first staff members of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the United Nations' industrial development specialist. From Vienna, Antonio was able to channel all his passion and love for development through numerous functions and high-level positions of responsibility; he was now able to give even more back, at the largest possible scale. His career took him all over the world, and he met and advised the most senior government officials for the better: because of Antonio's direct and indirect contribution to development at large, many people live a better life today.

Antonio never liked to be told what to do, and he decided to retire from the organization on his own terms. But he was not done with sharing; he still had lots more to give as he ventured, almost immediately after retiring, into the private sector where his experience and expertise were much sought-after commodities.

Antonio was so much more than just a tireless worker; he was a visionary who used the world as a canvas to paint his vision of development, of communion and peace among people, cultures and languages, with industry as his holy grail. And throughout the world, his strategic vision, coupled with his irresistible charm which he expressed in seven languages, were very appreciated for being at the very pulse of this changing, globalizing planet.

Antonio will be remembered for his actions in development, and he will be loved and fondly remembered for all the other, many things that also shaped his life outside of the business corridors; his love for Dee, his affection for his children, his infatuation with his grandchildren, and for many more things that set him apart from others, including his classic car collection that led him to participate in numerous old-timer rallies, and his detailed knowledge of wine, and especially of port wine, to name a few.

Antonio was a passionate man, a man driven by the understanding that, in order to empower a person, a country, a region, the entire world, you have to be able to talk, and express what you truly feel inside of you; you have to speak from the heart. Antonio felt nothing less but passion throughout his life, and always expressed it with the smile of a Portuguese gentleman.
Some of his achievements to be mentioned include his books and numerous technical publications, most notably O Caso Republica which he wrote with his brother-in-arms Francisco Seixas da Costa. Not innocently, his favorite flowers were carnations, a reminder of his dedicated participation in the Portuguese "Carnation Revolution" where no shots were fired when the population descended onto the streets to celebrate the end of the dictatorship.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Irene Candida Pinto and Manuel Rodrigues Pinto. He is survived by his wife, Dee Constance McCarroll Pinto Rodrigues of Graham; his son Rodrigo Palla e Carmo Pinto Rodrigues and mother Barbara Palla e Carmo, and partner Sofia Diez de Oliveira of Lisbon, Portugal; his daughter Marla McCarroll Pinto Rodrigues and her fiancee Richard Sitar of Vienna, Austria; his son and wife Manuel and Zahra and grandchildren Antonio and Miguel McCarroll Pinto Rodrigues of Graham, Texas; his aunt Maria Angelina Pinto and his cousins Candida Morais, Conceiçao Morais, Alberto Morais, Irene Morais, Antonio Morais, Ismenia Morais, Luisa Morais, Joaquim Teixeira, Irene Teixeira, Gaudencio Rebelo, Isabel Rebelo, Fatima Rebelo of Sande, Portugal; his cousins Jose Francisco Fernandes, Antonio Fernandes, Joaquim Fernandes, Candida Fernandes, Alexandre Fernandes, Fernando Fernandes, Lurdes Fernandes of Regua, Portugal; his mother-in-law Texas McCarroll of Graham, Texas; his brother-in-law Fred J. and Luiza McCarroll and his nieces and nephews Talitha, Karina and Patrick McCarroll of T. Otoni, Brazil as well as many beloved relatives in the U.S. through his marriage to Dee.

Memorials may be made to a cancer research institute of your choice.