Esperanza Colunga

She left behind a lot of brand new tennis shoes, clothes and pajamas - tags still attached.

So if you’re looking for something new, but from the 90’s such as vintage tennis shoe’s with the receipt stuffed into one of the shoes, text Lucy or Jose asap!

This is not an ad for a Saturday morning garage sale, but an obituary for a great Woman, Mother, Grandmother and Great-Grandmother. Esperanza was born on August 25,1943 in San Juan Del Salgado, Santo Domingo San Luis Potosí, Mexico, and is the daughter of the late Leonardo Pinal Garcia and Concepcion Colunga Aguilar.

She leaves behind a dysfunctional family that she was very proud to have. Esperanza was also known “Espy”, a given nickname because the pronunciation and spelling of her given name could be a tad challenging. Espy was renowned for not holding back her opinion and had a knack for telling it like it is.

She always told you the truth even if it wasn’t what you wanted to hear.

Our home was a school of the hard knocks. We were told many times how she started working at a young age to help feed the family when her father would go back to “el rancho” to attend to the family farm. With that said, she was genuine to a fault and she sugar coated nothing.

Everyone always knew where they stood with her. She liked you or she didn’t, it was black or white. As her children, we are still trying to figure out which one it was for us (we know she loved us).

Espy was a master cook in the kitchen, her Mexican rice was simply the best. We honestly still believe that Pappasito’s some how ripped off her rice recipe. She believed in overcooking everything until it chewed like rubber and she often pointed out to our father that his chicken was pink and undercooked. Truly believing that this was the cause of her tummy ache and not the pan dulce, cookies and chocolates balls she was known to devour. She will be sorely missed!

She is survived by her siblings Blanca Gonzales, Jaime & Abiel Pinal, children Lucy Collins and Jose Colunga, son-in-law Albert Collins and daughter-in-law Claudia Colunga, grandchildren Josh, Victoria, Matthew & Christian and great grandchildren Collyn and Bodhi.

She was preceded in death by her loving husband Jose Luis Colunga - February 16, 2021. We know they are together again - walking in God’s Glory.

A public visitation for Esperanza will be held Friday, February 23, 2024 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM at Forest Park Lawndale Funeral Home, 6900 Lawndale Street, Houston, TX 77023. A rosary service will occur Friday, February 23, 2024 from 1:30 PM to 2:00 PM, 6900 Lawndale Street, Houston, TX 77023. A funeral service will occur Friday, February 23, 2024 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM, 6900 Lawndale Street, Houston, TX 77023. A graveside service will occur Friday, February 23, 2024 from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM at Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery, 6900 Lawndale Street, Houston, TX 77023.