Christina Morales

Christina is survived by her children: Jaida Don, Janai Don, Tony Don, Jeremiah Don; grandson Jax Layton Morris ; sister Lydia Friese; mother Blanca Atkinson and father Juan {Lucy} Morales, Jr.; her niece, Aria Courtney, her nephews, Juan Morales IV and Esteban Morales.

She is preceded in death by her maternal grandparents Magdalena and George Atkinson, Sr. and paternal grandparents Maria and Juan Morales, Sr.; brother Juan Morales III.

Tina’s life began with a struggle; and later, throughout her life, she faced many more.

After keeping her mother in labor for more than 12 hours she finally entered into this world and took her first breath. A few months later, when her pediatrician noticed that Tina was not developing as normally as she should have, further medical examinations were done. Eventually, she was diagnosed with congenital heart failure. Not long after that, Tina underwent open heart surgery at the hands of Dr. Grady Hallman, a highly skilled cardiac surgeon with Dr. Denton Cooley’s team at that time, at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. Before releasing her from the hospital, he advised that her heart would need constant monitoring for the rest of her life; also advising that he perhaps she should refrain from having children since the physical act of childbirth child could stress her heart and compromise her life.

As she grew older, she continued to have other medical issues, the earliest one was the diagnosis that she suffered from a profound hearing loss. Essentially, she was deaf. She began a lifetime of facing challenges that she was determined to overcome. As she approached her school age, she began attending therapy sessions with speech specialists weekly to help her at school as much as possible. Eventually she was enrolled in the Texas School for the Deaf in Austin, Texas where she finished her high school education as well as becoming proficient in sign language. Later, she attended Howard College for the Deaf in Big Spring, Texas and studied computer sciences, which led to her first job as a data entry specialists for the IRS in Austin.

From early childhood, it was obvious that Tina was going to be strong, resilient and independent. Her hearing disability led to her lead a very quiet, shy and private lifestyle. Years later she entered into marriage, and, to everyone’s amazement, she gave birth to her four children. She managed to pull through each delivery precariously, but successfully. From then on she became a doting mother to her children and always looked after them like a mother hen. None of her children learned sign language but Tina was able to effectively communicate with all of them since she also had the ability to speak. Any remaining communication she needed to convey to her kids came from the looks she would give them; and the kids quickly learned to interpret those looks! Always a protective mother, she always stayed close to the children to monitor them effectively in case she missed a sound of something breaking or someone crying. It was both amusing and admirable at times to see her moving around while shopping and her kids always huddled around, much like baby ducklings. Being a mother to her children was what she considered to be her full-time job and she did the best she could. During this period of her life, she did not have any more medical issues, but did experience two serious accidents involving vehicles, both of which she fully recovered from.

This is the way it was for the remainder of her life. Fully there for her children and on her own. Today, each one of her children will remind one of her. Each one of them has some of Tina’s characteristics and it is easy to see and feel her presence in them. Once she became an empty nester and her kids went off to pursue their own lives, Tina likely looked back on the life that many did not expect her to have. Yet, she did, and she did it all her way. It was then when she parted from this life and entered into her well-earned eternal rest.

A visitation will be held at Funeraria Del Angel Mont Meta & Memorial Park, located at 26170 State Highway 345, San Benito, Texas, 78586, on November 20, 2025, from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm. A Holy Rosary will take place at the same venue on November 20, 2025, at 7:00 pm.

The chapel funeral service is scheduled for November 21, 2025, at 10:00 am at Funeraria Del Angel Mont Meta & Memorial Park. Burial will follow at Mont Meta Memorial Park, situated at 26170 State Highway 345, San Benito, Texas, 78586, on November 21, 2025, at 11:00 am.