Juan Rodriguez

Juan Rodriguez, 71, of Albany, TX passed away on December 2, 2025. He was surrounded by his loving family and entered the Kingdom of Heaven peacefully. A visitation with the family was  held at Heartland Funeral Home in Early at 2:00 PM, Rosary at 3:00 PM, Sunday, December 7th, 2025 and Mass at St. Mary Catholic Church, Brownwood, Texas 10:00 AM, Monday, December 8th, 2025 with interment following at Eastland Memorial Park.

Hundreds of people lined Main Street on Nov. 29 as the Albany Chamber of Commerce hosted this year’s Lighted Christmas Parade. The Grinch served as grand marshal and led a long line of floats, classic cars, ATVs, and community groups through town. Santa made his appearance near the end of the parade, waving to children gathered along the route.

The Albany Lions’ season came to an end Friday, November 28, in a 28–7 loss to defending state champion Muenster in the regional semifinal round in Graham. The matchup continued what has become one of the most familiar postseason pairings in Class 2A Division II.

The Albany Lions were well represented on this year’s all-district football teams, with four players earning superlative awards and nineteen total receiving first and second-team recognition across both sides of the ball.