Arabella "Bea" Quintanilla

Bea was born June 10, 1938, in George West, Texas, to Jose and Antonia Nerios. She grew up in George West and Robstown, Texas, with her four siblings. Bea attended Robstown High School, where she played cornet in the Cotton Picker marching band and graduated in 1957. Bea earned her license in Vocational Nursing from Del Mar College in 1959. She was a practicing nurse for 35 years.

Bea married Mauro Jude Quintanilla on June 25, 1964, at St. Anthony’s Church in Robstown, Texas. They had four children, Liza, Mauro F., JoAnn, and Zulema.

Bea was truly a beautiful person and a force of nature. She was a loving matriarch, faithful Catholic, caregiver, fierce defender, loyal, courageous, and outspoken. She was the life of the party, funny, competitive, athletic, a team mother, and a kickball coach. She was a generous soul, always willing and wanting to help anyone, in any way she could.

Bea dedicated her life to her family, enjoying Sunday barbeques and cooking her special papas con carne or crispy tacos. She loved watching her favorite Houston Astros and San Antonio Spurs, always saying a prayer for a home run or a last minute free throw. Bea loved watching classic movies and Gunsmoke with Mauro. Above all, she loved her family and made it clear she would do anything for them.

Bea had a passion for conjunto music. She had a lovely singing voice but is best known for being a graceful dancer. She loved dancing to her favorite group, Los Fantasmas. She and Mauro would travel throughout Texas, attending weddings, quinceneras, and conjunto festivals just to dance to every song and build lasting friendships with the many people she encountered. She could meet a stranger in a restroom and walk out calling them a friend. In her later years, she liked watching the large cargo ships coming in and out of the Corpus Christi ship channel.

Bea is survived by her beloved husband of 59 years, Mauro J. Quintanilla; two daughters, Liza (Anthony) Pratt of San Antonio, Texas, and JoAnn (Brad) Quintanilla of Austin, Texas; one son, Mauro F. (Aurora) Quintanilla of Corpus Christi, Texas; eight grandchildren, Niko, Julian, Jordan, Miranda, Mikial, Miles, Arlo, and Zakk; and five great-grandchildren, Kaia, Samiya, Julius, Alias, and Aaliyah; two sisters, Annabella (Johnny) Guerra and Zulema Garcia; two brothers, Joe (Felipa)Nerios and Tony (Mercy) Nerios; and many nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her parents, Jose and Antonia Nerios; her beloved daughter, Zulema Quintanilla; her son-in-law, Roderick Pratt; and her niece, JoAnn Guerra.

Visitation for Bea will be held from 5 PM until 9 PM on Wednesday, October 4, 2023, at Memory Gardens Funeral Home, with a Holy Rosary to be recited that same night at 7 PM. Continued Visitation will take place from 8 AM until 9 AM on Thursday, October 5, 2023, at Memory Gardens Funeral Home. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 AM that same day at Most Precious Blood Catholic Church. Rite of Committal and Interment will follow at Memory Gardens Cemetery.

All services will be livestreamed through the Memory Gardens Facebook page for those who cannot attend. The livestream link is as follows: https://m.facebook.com/MemoryGardensFuneral