Texas Border Business
By Amanda Sotelo
Francisco Javier Mejia found his passion late in life, and on the verge of achieving his dream, his life was cut short, leaving his family to celebrate his college graduation without him.
The 51-year-old is set to be honored at STC’s upcoming Commencement Ceremonies at the Bert Ogden Arena with a posthumous degree that will be presented to his family.
“As a family, we are so grateful to STC for honoring our father in this manner,” said Mejia’s oldest son Xavier Mejia, one of three sons who will accept the posthumous degree. “This was a longtime dream for my father and I’m so happy that although it’s not as we expected, he will still get the degree he worked so hard for.”
Mejia was studying to get an associate degree in Kinesiology, a dream that Xavier recalls his father having for as long as he could remember.
“I was in eighth grade when he first enrolled in college. We were in San Antonio at the time. I remember it clearly,” said the 24-year-old. “We’re now in 2026 and this was supposed to be his year, but cancer took that away from us. I hope he knows how proud we are of him.”
What the family thought was originally soreness from an afternoon of tree branch cutting, later turned out to be a rare blood cancer called Multiple Myeloma.
“We didn’t get a diagnosis immediately. At first, we were told that he had suffered a stroke, but he was deteriorating fast,” said Xavier. “Eventually, we found out and it was too late. He couldn’t even move without assistance, but despite everything, he never stopped completing his homework or studying.”
With a big dream, not even cancer could stop Mejia.
Although, Mejia had a successful career with Bert Ogden BMW in Pharr, he ultimately had the goal of becoming a coach, a role he had taken on when three sons joined youth sports.
“He was always our soccer coach. We spent a lot of time with him on the field,” said Xavier. “He was naturally a baseball player, but when we got into soccer, he took it on – successfully too.”
Xavier remembers his dad taking their friends and other kids from low income communities under his wing to ensure everyone had opportunities to play and travel.
“He never expected anything in return, even when he paid the travel for other children,” he said. “It was very honorable and that’s what made my dad so wonderful. He was a giving man.”
With so much more to give, Xavier said, he is positive that his father had many more lives to touch.
In addition to coaching, his family also remembers him for his cooking.
With a love for the kitchen, Mejia cooked for his family and friends, most recently, selling “barbacoa,” a traditional Mexican dish consisting of slowly cooked, seasoned meat, commonly beef, and “salsa,” or hot sauce, on the weekends.
“We had it planned, set to go. We were going to open a barbacoa business,” said Xavier. “He even built a “poso,” or in-ground hole, that he was going to use for cooking his barbacoa. He completed it in October before really becoming ill. We haven’t touched it since then.”
A lot of dreams were put on hold or may never be achieved with the loss of Mejia, but his family says the memories live on and they hope to live up to his legacy.
“My father’s life definitely brings us lessons of persistence, service and love,” said Xavier. “He embodied all of that and more. We look forward to sharing his life once again with those at commencement, thanks to STC and their service to honoring every student, even those no longer with us.”
Information source: STC
