Amparo

Lopez

And just like that, 86 years later, she was gone! Our mother, Amparo Lopez, transitioned away from her kids and on to finally meeting our God, our Creator, and the only love of her life, our father, Manuel O. Lopez. Boy, what a reunion with our mother and father after 57 years of having been separated by death do us part! Momma was literally the strongest woman my brothers and sisters knew, both mentally and in her faith in our God, St. Jude too. Mom knew after our father died in 1965 that she had a multitude of life challenges ahead of her because she only had a third grade education, was a housewife who never had to worry about any outside factors in raising her young family of five, and she had no clue about leading us to a thriving life, but by my father's timely teachings to her about those concerns, she had hope and faith that she would be just fine. She only then needed experiences to determine where she would take each and every step forward, leading her kids, with her youngest child only being eighteen months old when dad passed away; talk about a crash course in life lessons! There was absolutely no doubt mom would succeed raising us well and keeping her family unit always together. Through her own experiences, mom taught us how to protect ourselves and, more importantly, that we should never ever lose faith in believing in the power of God, porque Diosito es muy grande, and all the miracles He could provide as long as we prayed, had faith, and believed. It is essentially how mom lived her life each and every day.

Growing up on Lincoln Street, mom was always actively involved in the many occasions in which her children participated at school functions and extra-curricular activities, namely, she was a den mother for her two boys, David and Max, when they were in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. The Camp Perry trips were always a must where she participated back in the day. She would periodically host meetings and overnight campouts in her backyard. She was always involved in our school activities oftentimes serving as a chaperone when we'd take school field trips or would help at school when there were Easter egg hunts, or for whichever occasion, she was always there for us. She felt so much joy in her support of us in school activities and functions and, as school students, we were fortunate to know our mother was always available to us during those impressionable times.

Mom was also the neighborhood doctor for many of the kids in the neighborhood. Other moms would send their kids to mom so she could take care of them because she was always able to provide the needed help to alleviate our pains and discomfort, or anything the neighborhood children were suffering. Those upset stomach aches and pains were magically resolved when mom would rub our tummies, say a prayer for us, turn us over to lay on our bellies, grab our lower back skin, pull to hear a pop, and miraculously, our belly aches were gone! Those sorts of home remedies may have been scary for us, but we felt like new after a bit. Mom to the rescue! It was all in her faith that we were healed by the prayers in which mom wholeheartedly believed. She helped in healing others in post-operative procedures and alleviating pain, she helped others in the grieving process, she helped clean up stitches and those with earaches, and many countless other matters. The Guerreros, Barreras, Garcias, Corrales, Garzas, Cortezes, Lopezes, Silvas, Torreses, and many other families of the neighborhood will always hold special places in our hearts as long as we live. We lived a special childhood because our parents all visited with each other and our relationships were able to thrive because of the loving relationships we shared, and still share.

When her children graduated from school, mom decided it was her time to go learn about gainful employment because she had already successfully raised all five of us. She worked hard in the fast-food industry and for many years at 7-11 convenience stores. With a third grade education, and through the years, mom taught herself math, reading, and writing in order to succeed in the workplace and she rose and was able to manage some of the convenience stores because she had the will to succeed, and she did. Over the course of working in convenience stores, she saw all walks of life enter the store. She never had anything mean to share, unless it was merited, but in fact, she always shared her hope onto others who were not so hopeful about their respective lives. She was always a source of encouragement for others as she always had her motherly advice to share with the many who felt comfortable in confiding in her because she would treat them as if they were her own, and she wanted to instill hope and faith in them when they just couldn't feel it themselves. Many of her customers would go talk with her because they needed to confide in someone, and for many, mom was that person; her customers would follow her to whichever store she managed. She was a natural born counselor to many and she developed many close relationships with youth, young adults, and even older folks than her. It didn't matter to mom because as long as they had a beating heart, there was always hope for everyone. Her heart was always so warm and welcoming and she held many in her arms to provide others with the sense of love and encouragement. How fortunate we were to call her mom!

All of mom's children survive her beginning with her eldest daughter Angie Lopez (Art Abrego), her grandchildren, Angela Lopez and Zachery Abrego, and her great grand-children, Isaiah, Noah, and Ethan Alejandro; her son David Lopez (Zulieka), her grandson, Manuel David Lopez, and her great grandson, Manuel Lopez; her daughter Rosie (la guera) Aguilar (Gilbert), her granddaughter, Amanda Smith (Bryan), her great grandson, Bradley, and her other granddaughter, Mia Aguilar-Becerra (Richard); her son Max Lopez (Lori), and her granddaughter, Marissa Lopez, and her great-grandson Liam; and her daughter Dora Lopez Perez (Eli), and her granddaughters, Bria Perez, Ceyla Perez, and Annika Perez; and finally her baby pup, Cinnamon, who never left mom alone, especially in the past few weeks when momma's health was rapidly declining. Mom also loved her nephew, Oscar Partida, and her niece, Felicia Garcia Whitford. Mom's sister, Herminia Anez and brother, Tim Garcia, both passed years ago.

Mom loved shopping and most every Saturday, my sister, Rosie, would take her to lunch and shop wherever mom wanted to go. On Sundays, Ceyla would take her grandma shopping because mom loved shopping. Our family gatherings for many occasions always included such hearty laughter when momma was around because of her comedic demeanor. To say we will miss mom is obviously an understatement. We will always long for mom, but we are at peace knowing she is no longer in any physical pain and, in our faith and belief, she has met our Dear God and our father and is now where she needs to be to thrive in her everlasting, peaceful life. We pray for it and we will always believe in it — Thanks be to God!

A special extension of gratitude to mom's final caretakers from Kindred Hospice, Dr. Nolan Perez and his group, and Dr. Guadalupe Davila's PA, Annabelle, including Dan Sanchez who helped when we were in need. A special thank you to my brother, David Lopez, and my sister, Angie Lopez, who both took turns taking care of mom in the last couple of weeks. A special thanks to my brother, Max Lopez, for making a special trip home from California to be with mom before her health declined, and to my sister, Rosie, and my daughter, Ceyla, for always taking momma on her weekend outings to go shopping wherever she wanted.

Visitation will be Saturday, March 5, 2022 from 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. with a prayer service at 7:00 p.m. at Trinity Funeral Chapel of the Holy Spirit.

Funeral service will be Sunday, March 6, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. at Trinity Funeral Chapel.

Interment will follow to Restlawn Memorial Park Cemetery in La Feria.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Trinity at Harrison Funeral Home 1002 East Harrison Ave Harlingen, TX 78550 (956)364-2444. www.trinityfunerals.com