Juanita Hinojosa Escobar

Juanita Hinojosa Escobar age 94, of Corpus Christi, Texas passed away on February 10, 2026. She was born in Alice, Texas on March 23, 1931 to Demetrio Hinojosa and Clementina Pena Hinojosa. Understanding the value of a good education, Juanita completed her GED in 1980 and additional coursework in supervisory management at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi. Juanita was married to Ramiro Escobar on February 1, 1948 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Alice, Texas.

A strong work ethic is what made Juanita who she was. At the age of 5 she helped her mother sell tortillas and tamales around her childhood neighborhood. At the age of 14 she worked at a Variety Five and Ten Store in Alice. Once married, she worked as a sales clerk at Levine’s and Woolworth’s in Corpus Christi moving into a management position. Her strengths led her to a job with Haggar’s Robstown Manufacturing Company in the early 1970s where she quickly became a line manager, managing a production line consisting of sixty seamstresses. In this role, her line earned many accolades and awards for productivity and quality. Ultimately, she held the role of corporate trainer for Haggar providing valuable skills to leaders throughout the company many of whom would be senior to her. Life circumstances necessitated a career change and she began a new role as a Paraprofessional Educational Aide for Tuloso-Midway ISD in the early 1980s, eventually moving into a district liaison role specializing in work with the Title 1 community. In the latter part of her career, she pursued a true passion by opening a floral arrangement shop out of her home.

Her abilities and ethic was not limited to her professional life. She used these gifts in service to her strong faith in God and the Catholic Community. She and her husband, along with Fr. James Hamilton, helped found Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church in 1958. She and other founding families worked tirelessly to grow the church community from living rooms to a fully functional parish. She served as an educational leader at the church by teaching the first Headstart class in the community, catechism, baptism, and marriage preparation classes. In addition, she continued to lead by serving as a member of the Parish Council and in numerous ministries including Eucharistic Ministry, homebound religious service, and as president of the Guadalupanas. Outside of her home parish, she dedicated over forty years of her life to the Catholic Cursillo movement serving in committee leadership roles, helping to organize and present in multiple women’s bilingual and Spanish Cursillos speaking and teaching her faith to hundreds of women. While working with the Cursillo movement, Juanita also volunteered with the Northwest Senior Center in a variety of roles. She was recognized by the Nueces County Community Action Program and also served as the Center Coordinator at the Clarkwood Center and was an active member of the G.I. Forum.

Juanita had a deep love for her family, raising 6 children and providing support and mentorship to many members of her extended family. She showed her love through service and used her talents to sew dresses and household items and provide gifts of crafts and food for every occasion. Every member of her family and close friends often received special handmade gifts that she had either sewn, embroidered or designed for them.She loved cooking for her family and was famous for her menudo, tamales, and flour and corn masa tortillas with fresh pinto beans. Juanita always sent a variety of greeting cards in the mail to everyone she knew for all occasions. Those cards became incredibly special to all who received them. They were often filled with inspiring words or prayers and uplifting sentiments. She loved celebrations with family and friends accompanied by music and dancing with her husband and raising her hand in a toast with a shot of tequila.

Juanita is preceded in death by her husband Ramiro Escobar Sr., her parents Demetrio Hinojosa and Clementina Pena Hinojosa, her brothers Romeo, Baldemar, and Demetrio Hinojosa Jr., her son-in-law Robert P. Samaniego, and her great-granddaughter Sierra Cheyenne Escobar.

Juanita is survived by 6 children: Ramiro Jr. (Stefanie), Marina Samaniego, Omar (Esiquia), Juanita “Janie” Garcia (Arturo), Gabriel, and Pearl Perez (Robert); 11 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren, and 6 great-great-grandchildren. She is also survived by siblings Angelita H. Ibanez and Roberto Hinojosa, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

The family wishes to give special thanks to Dr. Arvind G. Modak for his advocacy and special support as well as to Harbor Hospice Corpus Christi and Visiting Angels Senior Home Care.