Joe R. Guerra

The funeral service will include a full mass and will be held at 10:00 am January 10, 2020 at St. Monica Catholic Church in Dallas, Texas, with a full viewing on January 9, 2020 from 3-6pm at Calvary Hill Funeral Home and Rosary at 7:30pm, also at St. Monica Catholic Church in Dallas. Following the funeral a reception will be held in the Family Center.

Joe was born in Dallas to Rudolph Guerra and Carmen Guerra in Dallas on December 13, 1970. He graduated from Bishop Lynch High School in 1989 and continued on to receive his bachelor’s degree in 1996 in Restaurant and Hospitality Management from the University of North Texas, and he also served on the College of Merchandising, Hospitality and Tourism’s Hospitality Board of Governors. He helped to found Sigma Lambda Beta (now called Lambda Theta Phi), a fraternity focused on recognition of the Latino culture.

Joe was married to Pauline on August 28, 1999; they have been married for 20 years, and their marriage produced 3 lovely daughters: Lilliana, Rosalia, and Carina Guerra.

He is survived by his mother Carmen Guerra, his wife Pauline and daughters Lilliana, Rosalia, and Carina, and his siblings Rudolph Guerra, Jr. (wife Ana), Kathy Guerra, Monica Masters (husband Edward), Louis Guerra (wife Lisa), Linda Dyer, and his inlaws Antonio and Sylvia Sanchez, John Sanchez (wife Susana) and Edward Sanchez, and many nieces and family, and friends as numerous as the stars.

Joe was preceded in death by his father Rudolph Guerra Sr..

Joe’s life was a gift to him and to all who knew him. His friends remember him as one of those people “you just can’t ever forget”.

Joe and his family were incredibly generous and started endowments for his alma mater Bishop Lynch, as well as Ursuline Academy, Jesuit High School, and the University of North Texas (UNT), where he met his wife. His family received the Excellence of Education Award from UNT in 2014.

Joe befriended everyone! He made friends with people sitting in airplanes and everywhere else he went. One time a salesperson at his family business, Rudy’s Tortillas, told him that he was in another state and someone he met asked if “Joe” still worked at Rudy’s, relating that he had given him a tour of the factory years ago and was “so great” and made him feel “so special”. Joe gave people his time and his undivided attention, particularly his family, who he rushed to spend time with as often as possible. He made everyone feel special, even during this generation of screens and distractions.

When Joe received his colon cancer diagnosis he wasted no time rearranging his life to spend even more quality time with his family, traveling all over the world with them on pilgrimages to Fatima, Lourdes, the Miraculous Medal Shrine, the Sacred Heart of Jesus Shrine, and to Rome, where they attended mass and received a blessing from Pope Francis. He modified his lifestyle and sought all treatments and diet regiments and tried his best to spend as much time with them as he could before God took him home. His example of faith, hope, and enduring and powerful love is truly his legacy. His wife and children will carry these values on and remember him always and know in their hearts he was ready to move to Heaven and await a reunion with them there.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to The Pines Catholic Camp, where Joe served as a board member. The family wishes to thank everyone who prayed for Joe and for them; they truly are grateful for all the extra time they had with their beloved.