Armando "Mando" Tabares, 60, of Van Vleck was born in Brownsville, TX on April 22, 1960 to Alberto & Paula (Davila) Tabares.

Mando was a man of many titles, including beloved husband, dad, son, brother, "welo", brother-in-law, father-in-law, uncle, and friend of many. After a courageous battle with COVID-19, Mando left his earthly body on April 5, 2021 to walk in heaven with the Lord. If you were listening closely at just the right moment, you may have heard the tell-tale "slap" of his chanclas as he walked through heaven's gates.

Mando loved life, never met a stranger, and will long be remembered for his quick wit, bright smile, infectious laugh, and endless jokes (most of which were usually inappropriate).

The simplest pleasures in life brought great joy to Mando, and he loved spending time with his family and friends. He took great pride in the 42 years that he spent hauling loads across the country in his 18-wheeler, but his most proud achievement in life was marrying the love of his life, Dorene, and raising their 4 sons, Mando Jr, Ernie, Robert, and Charlie.

Mando spent countless hours coaching his sons' various sports teams when they were young, and could always be found cheering them on from the sidelines as they grew older. As a father of 4 boys, Mando loved coaching and watching all sports, and he became somewhat of a "surrogate" father to many of his sons' friends & teammates. Mando touched many lives and will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Mando was preceded in death by his mother, Paula Davila Tabares.

He is survived by his father, Alberto Tabares; his best friend and wife of 41 years, Dorene; sons Armando "Mando" Tabares Jr (Sarah), Manuel "Ernie" Tabares (Samantha), Robert Tabares (Elizabeth), and Charles "Charlie" Tabares; sisters Mary Alcala (Luis) & Aida Libby (Daniel); brothers Alberto "Albert" Tabares, Arnulfo "Arnold" Tabares, & Alejandro "Alex" Tabares (Tommie); grandchildren Cassidy, Krislyn, Keara, Jasmine, Faith, Jacob, Layton, Josiah, Leila, Tobey, Camryn, Jordyn, Taylor, Bodhi, & Rowdy; as well as numerous in-laws, cousins, nieces, nephews, and many other family members.

Services will be held at The Power Church in Bay City (3920 Doris Street) on Monday, April 12, 2021, with visitation from 9:00-10:00 AM. Funeral service will be held at 10:00 AM with Pastor Frank Paz officiating. Interment will follow at Roselawn Memorial Park in Van Vleck. Pallbearers will be Mando Tabares Jr., Ernie Tabares, Robert Tabares, Charlie Tabares, Alex Tabares Jr., and Josh Cervantes. Honorary pallbearers will be Alex Tabares, Arnold Tabares, Albert Tabares, Adam Dickerson, Dillon Hadash, Jonathan Woods, Earnest Pena, and Tobey Yates.

The family would like to extend a special heartfelt thank you to all of the doctors, nurses, and every single staff member who had any part in providing care to Mando while he was admitted at The Sugar Land Methodist Brazos ICU. We are eternally grateful for the loving care & concern that you all extended to both Mando and his family during this most difficult time.