Robert Avila was born and raised in El Paso Texas. A 1974 graduate of Austin High School, he served in the U.S. Navy and after attending college in El Paso he worked for El Paso Police Dept and went on to a career with the US Immigration Service where he worked for twenty- five years, stationed in Denver, Co, Tucson Az, El Paso, Los Angeles Ca and lastly retiring as the resident agent in charge of a Houston sub-office in Huntsville, Texas. He has been married to his wife Letty since out of high school and they currently reside in Bulverde, Texas.