SAN ANTONIO – An area favorite in Southtown, Bar America, is serving up cold drinks and good music to its patrons, but after 45 years of being in charge, the bar’s patriarch and former owner died last month.
“My grandfather was definitely a man’s man. You can see in these pictures, he had a lot of friends,” said Brian Correa, about his grandfather, Martin Rodriguez Ramirez.
A collection of memories are captured in photos in the bar. Bar America is a museum of Correa’s family’s legacy.
Correa is the newest member of his family to own the Southtown staple. The bar has been in his family for 75 years.
"I know I’ve been doing this now on my own for three years, but knowing that he's not here is definitely surreal. It's bittersweet to know that he's finally at rest, that he’s not here anymore," Correa said.
Ramirez died of natural causes on Aug. 17. He was 91 years old. He sold Correa the bar three years ago due to his failing health.
"Every day, when I open up those doors, my grandfather is always on my mind. (I) always hold my head up high, and that’s one thing he always taught us," Correa said.
Ramirez, a Navy man, owned the bar and operated it with an iron fist, but was known to customers as “Grandpa.”
"It's always been about the family and the people that are behind the bar and the great customer service that we've always offered,” Correa said.
For the first time, Correa is on his own but finds comfort in knowing and believing his grandfather would approve of his business and the changes and improvements he’s made.
“To see that, hey, his legacy is going on, it's going to continue — I think that would’ve meant the world to him,” Correa said.
Ramirez left behind five children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. His memory is living on through them and his prized possession and labor of love: Bar America.