Bernabe Medina Casas

No Medina family party was complete without Bernabe Medina demanding to hear “El Gato Negro” by the Los Rebeldes Del Bravo so he could passionately sing along.

He was the life of every party, which will never be the same moving forward after Bernabe “El Gato Negro” Medina Casas, 71, tragically passed away Thursday, April 11, 2024, surrounded by his children and loved ones.

Known for his tenacity, kindness and hardworking nature, Bernabe — also known as Rojo, Red, and Canelo — will be deeply missed by those who loved him

Bernabe’s nicknames are a nod to his love for wearing black cowboy outfits and his cinnamon red hair.

Bernabe is survived by his four children — Gerardo, Gustavo, David and Natalie — as well as his mother, Maria, and siblings Angelina, Denise, Concepcion, Guadalupe, Hermengilda, Jose, Justino, Maria, Mariana, Margarita, Pedro and Severiano. He was preceded in death by his father, Sylvester Medina Sanchez.

His memory will live on through his family and also can be seen through the hundreds of jobs Bernabe performed across Kansas City and Texas throughout his life. A jack of all trades, Bernabe was contracted and trusted by dozens of people to work on their homes.

Not many can say they lived their life without many regrets, but Bernabe certainly can. He always accepted life as it came, not as how he wished it was.

Friends and family will gather from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, April 19, for a visitation at Larkin & Garcia Funeral Care, 1844 Minnesota Ave. in Kansas City, Kansas.

A funeral mass will take place from 3 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 20, at Holy Cross Parish, 5106 St John Ave. in Kansas City, Missouri. His cremains will be stored with his children before his final wish — to have his ashes thrown into a river in his hometown of Santa Catarina, Guanajuato, Mexico — can be honored.