Maria "Mary Jessie" De Jesus Ramirez

Maria De Jesus "Mary Jessie" Ramirez, 92 passed away Thursday, May 3, 2012. She was preceded in death by husbands, Concepcion M. Gomez and Estaban De La Cruz Ramirez and son Raymond R. Gomez. She is survived by sons, Philip R. Gomez, Don R. Gomez, Concepcion Gomez Jr., Mike Gomez and John Martin Gomez; daughters, Mary Jane Sims, Mary Theresa Barrera, Mary Jessie Prince, Lupe Fecco, Julia Gomez & Carmen Ramirez Partlow and their spouses. She is also survived by 38 grandchildren, 54 great-grandchildren and 22 great-great grandchildren and countless other relatives. Interment was held on May 8, 2012 at Calvary Hill Cemetery. Maria de Jesus Ramirez, affectionately known to all of her friends as ‘Mary Jessie’, was born on June 8, 1919 in the city of Zacatecas, in the state of Zacatecas, Mexico. In 1926, her mother, Felipa Garay and her grandmother, Anacleta, devout Catholics, decided to flee Mexico when the Mexican government’s persecution of the Catholic Church began. They immigrated to Dallas, Texas, where they settled in the flourishing Mexican community of ‘Little Mexico’. ‘Mary Jessie’ was only six years old when their journey began, but soon the family soon became an integral part of the small community, with mother Felipa helping to start today’s well known Luna’s Tortilla Factory, while grandmother Anacleta cared for little ‘Jesusita’. As a teenager Mary Jessie was shy, living in her protected home environment, but she dreamed of having many children, as she always loved children. Her dream was to be realized when a young man, Concepcion Concho Gomez, romanced her with his guitar and voice. He proposed and they soon married. Within the next twenty years, their home was filled with eleven children: Philip, Don, Raymond, Mary Jane, Mary Theresa, Concepcion (Frank) Gomez, Michael (Mike) Gomez, Mary Jessie, Lupe, Julia and John Martin. Their life journey together eventually took them to West Dallas, where the family moved after her husband, Concho, became sick and eventually passed away. Newly widowed, Mary Jessie struggled to feed her large family. As the main breadwinner of the family, she soon took two jobs, working day and night to feed her children. The family flourished under her leadership, as she taught them strong morals, life’s lessons and a fervent Catholic faith. She always had a dream of owning her own house, and she realized that dream when she somehow saved enough money for a down payment for a house in Oak Cliff, where she moved her family in the late 50’s. A second marriage happened when she married Esteban de la Cruz Ramirez, ‘Cruz’, a loving man who shared responsibility of raising the large family. A twelfth child was added to the family and they welcomed a beautiful little girl, Carmen. Over the next two years, she led the effort to provide a Catholic education for all of her children, ensuring that they all made a very good start in their lives. Above all, she always instilled love, kindness, and a Love for God and His Teachings, not only in her children, but in everyone she met. Her life was a constant prayer and she touched many lives with the The Word of Our Lord. She will be sorely missed, but our consolation is the certainty the she rests in the Light and the Loving Arms of Our Lord for eternity.