Ercilia Garcia Quilantan

Our mother’s story began on February 12 in 1937, in the small town of Falcon, Texas. It was a humble beginning for a life that would become so rich—not in material things, but in the love she gave and the family she built.

That family truly began when she met a young man named Reynaldo, but who everyone knew as Smokey. On a warm June day in 1954, when she was just 17, she married him, and from that moment forward, she was a devoted wife. For all the years that followed, she and our father, Smokey, were a team. Theirs was a partnership that weathered storms, celebrated joys, and built a home rooted in commitment. She was his loving companion, and even though we miss him terribly, we take comfort in knowing they are together again.

But if being a wife was her first calling, being a mother was her life’s work. And what a mother she was. To Janie, Johnny, Mary Lou, Mary Ann, and J.R., she was our world. She was the steady heartbeat of our home. Her love wasn’t loud or flashy; it was constant. It was in the meals cooked, the clothes mended, the worries soothed in the middle of the night, and the quiet strength she showed every single day.

Her heart, however, knew profound sorrow. She carried the unbearable loss of children—of Janie, of Johnny, of Mary Ann—with a grace that spoke of a strength we could scarcely comprehend. A mother’s love does not end, and her love for them remained as alive and present as her love for those of us still here. The depth of her grief was only a reflection of the depth of her love. We hold them all in our hearts today—Janie, Johnny, Mary Ann, and our dad, Smokey—knowing they have now welcomed her with open arms.

In our sister Mary Lou, brother J.R., and in all of the grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren her legacy lives on. We are her living testament. We carry her resilience, her capacity to love through pain, and her unwavering devotion to family.

So today, we don’t just say goodbye to a woman born in Falcon, Texas in 1937. We say thank you. Thank you, Mom, for being the devoted wife to Dad. Thank you for being our loving, nurturing, and strong mother. Thank you for showing us that love is not measured by an easy life, but by a heart that continues to give, even when it has been broken.

Your work here is done. You are reunited with Dad and your children. May you finally rest in a peace as deep and everlasting as the love you gave to all of us. We will love you and miss you always.