Claudia Elisa Robles

January 8, 1973 – May 9, 2017

Claudia Robles, 44, went to be with her Lord on Tuesday May 9, 2017. She was born January 8, 1973 to Jose R. Robles and Maria Villa. Claudia is preceded in death by her beloved brother Jose Robles and survived by her parents Jose R. Robles and Maria Villa along with her sisters: Martha Robles, and Maria Gomez (Juan); niece: Gabriella Gomez; nephews: Daniel and Joaquin Robles; best friend Derek Austin; and work family at La Familia Cortez Restaurants where she worked for 25-years.

The visitation will be Thursday May 11, 2017 at Funeraria Del Angel Roy Akers 515 N. Main Ave from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., with a Prayer service at 7:00 p.m. A chapel service will be held at Funeraria Del Angel Roy Akers at 11:00 a.m. on Friday May 12, 2017, with interment to follow at San Jose Burial Park.

Claudia’s personality and life was as vibrant as the embroidered blouses she wore—a closet full of a kaleidoscope of color. Her Mexican heritage, living downtown and working in Market Square were close to her heart. She always had her finger on the pulse of San Antonio and knew the city inside and out. The only thing that could have swayed her to move beyond downtown was the promise of a larger house—not for herself, but for her beloved dogs. The bigger the house, the more dogs she would fill it with. She would lovingly befriend every stray dog she could find and happily bring them into her family.

Family was everything to Claudia. To say she adored her nephews and niece would be an understatement. She often referred to them as “my world” and would affectionately sing, “You are my Sunshine” to them. Her familia extended beyond blood though—Claudia had many friends, but none greater than her absolute best friend and roommate Derek. At work her family was encompassed by La Familia Cortez and their four restaurants, where both her father and sister had worked.

She dedicated her life to La Familia Cortez. In 1993 Claudia and her sister, Martha, began working summer jobs at La Margarita. The sisters would work just a short time and then return to Mexico for a few months where they would spend their hard earned money. What started as a summer job quickly turned into her passionate career. Claudia moved from hostess to cashier at La Margarita and eventually into administrative work for the company. She worked closely with Pete Cortez who began to get involved in the management of Mi Tierra, and while Claudia gladly followed, her heart still belonged to La Margarita.

She was affectionately and jokingly referred to as “Dragon Lady” while working at La Margarita because of her tenacity and attention to detail—everything had to be done the right way. Her desk was disorganized but she knew exactly where everything was. Every detail stood out to her and she could see through the chaos, both on her desk and in life. Up until the time of her passing she would constantly ask, “What’s the plan?”—always wanting to know every detail and plan accordingly. She was so intuitive that you would only have to say a few words about an idea and she knew exactly what and how to get it done.

At Mi Tierra Claudia became involved in many projects, but her passion project was the “American Dream” mural. She gathered all of the biographies of the numerous historic Latinos that adorn the walls and compiled them in one place. This extensive project helped eternalize the deep-rooted Mexican-American history of Mi Tierra.

Claudia’s role was more than just one restaurant—she influenced the entire company in her role working side-by-side with Executive Management. Claudia’s masterpiece was La Familia Cortez’s 75th anniversary, where she was integral to the planning process. With maps, lists, contacts and more under control, she impressed even the professionally contracted event experts with her attention to detail. Unfortunately, she was hospitalized exactly one-week before the event, and pending surgery to remove a brain tumor. It looked as though she was going to be unable to see the fruits of all of her hard work. Orange, her favorite color, Corazon pins were made in her honor, to celebrate all the hard work. Every employee and guest adorned these pins, proudly displaying their love for Claudia and wore them knowing that she would be there in spirit. Without anyone knowing, Claudia convinced her surgeon that the surgery must be postponed and that she had an event to attend and oversee. Much to everyone’s surprise, Claudia not only showed up to the event, but also was there beforehand organizing every last detail.

Above all Claudia was known for her dedication. Her attention to detail, paired with her intense devotion, was a huge asset to those fortunate enough to be in her life. Behind her devoted personality, Claudia was filled with a lot of spunk and had varied interests such as zombie movies and heavy metal—hobbies you might not expect from the woman clad in these vibrant embroidered blouses.

Once she put her mind to something, there was no stopping Claudia. Even now, cancer did not stop Claudia, but has led her to the next chapter and to the Lord. And although Claudia’s question, “What’s the plan?” couldn’t be answered on Earth, we find peace that Claudia is now with the Lord and carrying out his plan.