Menira Del Castillo Mora

Menira Del Castillo Mora, beloved mother, aunt, and friend, passed into eternal life on Palm Sunday, March 28, 2021. Waiting to welcome her into paradise were her devoted husband, Chino (Jose R.) Mora; mother, Margarita McCallick; brother, Ralph Castillo; and sister, Narah Del Castillo. Menira was born in San Antonio, Texas on May 27, 1931. She moved with her family to El Paso a little over a year later and called this city her home ever since. She attended El Paso High School, where she stood out because of her quick wit and sense of humor, which she retained all her life, and her statuesque figure. Like her older sister she dropped out of school in her freshman year to help support the family. Although not having the advantage of a formal education, she possessed a great intellect and was a voracious reader of novels, biographies, mysteries, and poetry in both English and Spanish, and boasted of a vocabulary in both languages that would rival any university professor on either side of the border. As a conscientious and diligent worker at various occupations throughout her career, she was one of the first people to use early data processing computers in a business setting in El Paso and eventually became a most trusted and essential assistant to Jonathan Rogers at Mortgage Investment Company.

Menira reared two daughters, Menira and Diana, who she considered to be the most precious people in her life. She and Chino also were kind and generous Tios to her sister’s daughters Judy and Sarah, just as Narah was to Menira’s daughters, and all four girls grew up as though there were four daughters in a family but with the advantage of having “two mothers.” Menira and Chino were well-known in El Paso and Cd. Juarez for their graceful flair on the dance floor from the time they were in their teens through their married life, during which time she was a member of various groups such as the Club Boton Rojo. Her many lifetime friends included her cousins from the extended McCallick family, who she remained close to all her life. She was a person to whom many relatives and friends came for advice during her lifetime.

Left to cherish her memory are her daughters Menira de la Fuente (Rene), Diana Mora (Richard Matuszewski), and her grandsons Rene and Gabriel de la Fuente (Tamara), who she adored and were fortunate to know her into their adulthood; and her great-grandchildren Kai-ra; Dylan, Camran, Aubrey (and their mother Bridget); Rasia, Marques, Brendan, and Tamia; all of whom she dearly loved and were blessed to know her for many years. She also will be deeply missed by numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins in the extended Mora, de la Fuente, John, Castillo, and McCallick families.

It will be hard without you, but in time we’ll be all right knowing that you are no longer in pain. You can finally rest easy now.

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away.” Revelation 21:4

The Rosary Service will be taking place April 27th, 2021 at Saint Pius Catholic Church. This Service will begin at 6:30 pm