Long-time Abilene resident, Maria S. Guerra, passed away at the age of 98 on December 27, 2023 in Austin, Texas. Maria was born in Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico on November 14, 1925. Daughter of Jose Anastasio Guajardo Rodriquez and Maria Antonia Flores de Guajardo, Maria was the oldest of 2 daughters.
Maria attended medical school at the University of Nuevo Leon in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon from 1945-1951. She married Dr. Jose de Jesus Guerra in July 1953. They had 8 children, all of whom graduated from Cooper High School.
In 1953, Maria and Jose were recruited to come to the United States to help fill a doctor shortage following World War II. They immigrated to Kentucky then Ohio and finally settling in Abilene Texas in 1959. Maria was a woman ahead of her time, always a troublemaker, renegade, and a champion of the underdog.
Maria is survived by her eight children, thirteen grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband and sister Alicia Graciela Guajardo.
Visitation will be at 6:00 p.m., on January 4, 2024 followed by a Rosary/Vigil at 7:00 p.m., at Cook-Walden Capital Parks Funeral Home, 14501 North Interstate 35, Pflugerville. Funeral Mass will be held at 10:00 a.m., on January 5, 2024 at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, 4311 Small Drive, Austin. Rite of committal service will follow immediately afterward at Cook-Walden/Capital Parks Cemetery in Pflugerville.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be sent to the Arthritis Foundation by visiting: https://www.arthritis.org or The Texas League of Women Voters by visiting https://lwvtx.clubexpress.com
To leave a condolence for the family go to www.cookwaldencapitalparks.com
