Retired Harris County bailiff Hilbert Nuñez Jr. dies of COVID-19
Hilbert Nuñez Jr.
“He did what he could to keep people out of trouble and keep them from showing up in his courtroom again,” said his daughter, Dlisa Nuñez. “Even though he was just the bailiff, he would tell them, ‘Hey man, you don’t want to come back here. You don’t want to be spending time here.’”
She said her father carried an empathetic demeanor with him through 34 years at the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. After his retirement in 2017, he got a chance to fulfill his longtime dream of traveling the world. But upon returning from a trip to Spain and Egypt in March, he developed symptoms consistent with COVID-19.
The 68-year-old was admitted to a Houston-area hospital and, after testing positive for the new coronavirus, died April 11. Dlisa said the family did not expect his condition to deteriorate rapidly when he was first diagnosed. Aside from hearing problems, he did not have any other major health issues, she said.
“The hardest part was knowing that if he didn’t make it, he was going to be totally alone,” she said.
When Dlisa reflects on her father’s life, she remembers the weekend he taught her to ride a bike, and how years later he fawned over her first child. A family vacation to the Moody Gardens in Galveston — a Christmas gift for all of his grandchildren — sticks out in her mind.
Hilbert grew up in Houston’s Denver Harbor neighborhood and later moved to the Cypress area.
He became a father of three, with Dlisa being the oldest. Six grandchildren eventually filled out his family, along with a great-grandchild that he never got the chance to meet.
At the sheriff’s office, he started as a patrol deputy in the late 1980s and later moved to the courts. He worked hard to get off the street at a time when the job became more dangerous, she said. He took pride in his new position and enjoyed informally talking to defendants accused of anything from shoplifting to murder.
Hilbert spoke honestly and with compassion, she added.
“I believe that’s what he enjoyed — being able to help others,” Dlisa said.
Hilbert used his retirement to travel to overseas destinations such as Japan and Panama. Dlisa believes both he and her stepmom caught the virus while returning from their last trip to Egypt, specifically during a layover at JFK Airport in New York City.
Services have been delayed because of the pandemic, Dlisa said.
“The hardest part first was not being able to go the hospital,” she said. “People don’t take it seriously that they die alone … and that once they are gone, you still can’t say goodbye.”
Julian Gill
