Ester M. Rodriguez, age 94, passed away peacefully at her home surrounded by her family on April 16, 2019. She was born in San Diego, Texas, to the late Eristeo & Nicolasa Martinez on August 13, 1924. She was married for over 50 years to the love of her life, Remigio Rodriguez, who preceded her in death.
She was also preceded in death by her siblings, Mateo Silguero, Francis Martinez, & Eristeo Martinez.
Ester grew up at El Toro Ranch. She shared many childhood memories of going to school on her horse, Jack. Ester was a mischievous child and teenager together with her best friends, Emma Rogers & Flavio Garcia. Her education was only to the 10th grade because her parents would not allow her to go into town with a male to finish her schooling. Instead, she became a teacher’s aide at the ranch schoolhouse.
Her love of dancing came from her parents. They held dances in their barn for all the nearby ranchers who would travel by horse & buggies. As she got older, she was allowed to go into San Diego for the dances at the OG Garcia Dance Hall. She had several odd jobs but when the family later moved to Corpus Christi, she was employed as a Doctor’s Assistant to Dr. Caroline.
She had many boyfriends but her mother did not approve of any until she finally met Remigio. He was kind, had a good job & goals, and she could tell he really loved her. They were married at St. Francis de Paula Catholic Church in her hometown where they returned for their 50th wedding anniversary.
Ester & Remigio built a modest home for their family and traveled the U.S. as Migrant Workers. They were one of the first families in the neighborhood to own a television. She welcomed all the neighborhood children to watch TV, especially the Saturday morning cartoons.
She was a devout Catholic and a member of the Guadalupanas at Our Lady of the Rosary Church. It was very rare that she would miss a service. She volunteered her time and sold numerous raffle tickets. Ester was happy to receive Holy Communion the week before her passing and received her last rites from Father Mathias.
Her grandchildren will remember all the animals that were raised, especially the chickens, only to find that they would one day be dinner. Ester always made everything work with what she had even telling them that an old bathtub was the swimming pool. She also took the time to make little tortillas for them and made the best refried beans. Ester did not drive a day in her life, but we needed to make an appointment to visit because she was never home. She stayed very active, attended the Northwest Senior Center, and traveled frequently. She loved to play bingo & loteria with her friends, 'Las Bingeras'. Loteria was held at her home every Monday. It was very humorous to hear the nicknames they had given the cards, some of which should not be repeated here. Holidays were always a special time for Ester as this was when family came together. Easter Sundays at the rancho in Orange Grove were a treat for everyone. Many memories were made. At Christmas, everyone received a gift. She did not forget a single person. Together with her husband, Ester instilled strong family values and principles that will carried on for many future generations. She will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved her.
She was the beloved mother of Elva (Jose) Garcia, Homer (Maggie) Rodriguez, Esmeralda (Victor) Valdez, Ruben (Lupita) Rodriguez, and Jose Luis (Dolores) Rodriguez; grandmother of 14; great-grandmother of 35 and great-great-grandmother of 1. She is also survived by her brother-in-law, Ruperto (Elida) Rodriguez, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be held on Tuesday, April 23, 2019, from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm at Memory Gardens Funeral Home with a Holy Rosary to be recited at 7:00 p.m. Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 24, 2019, at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church with interment to follow at Memory Gardens Cemetery.
The family would like to invite everyone to join them in fellowship after the services at Themed Events-N-More, 4701 Ayers, Suite 304, Corpus Christi, Texas.
