Maria de Jesus Zapata

She was born in San Eligio, Zacatecas, Mexico to the late Jesus and Eulalia Hinostrosa Zapata. Maria was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.

Our Mother came to the United States as a child and lived with her aunts and uncle in Cementville, now the Alamo Heights area. There she attended elementary school through the 7th grade.

To help support the family Maria left school and worked in a San Antonio pecan factory where she later met her husband. For more than forty years Maria was devoted to her husband and family.

Though money was tight our Mother loved shopping and almost without fail every Saturday accompanied by her children she took the bus to downtown stores such as Kress and Solo Serve where she loved buying fabrics to make clothes and other needs for the house.

A self-taught seamstress, she made every single dress for her daughters through high school.

Shortly after her husband's death, our Mother at the age of seventy became an active foster grand-parent at the Santa Rosa Children's Hospital, where she loved and enjoyed tending to ill children for more than ten years.

Our Mother will be dearly missed by all her children, grandchildren and all who knew her.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Jose Garcia Zapata; her parents, sister, Refugia Schnars, brothers, Inez Suarez and Felipe Suarez; son-in-law, Gonzalo Tristan, Jr.

She is survived by her son, Carlos S. Zapata (Mary Helen); daughter, Josefina Tristan; son, Roberto Zapata (Rosemary); son, Jose S. Zapata (Teresa) and daughter, Esperanza Ramirez (Alejandro); grandchildren, Maria I. Guajardo (Willie), Gabriel Tristan, Gonzalo Tristan III (Susan), Gilbert Tristan (Roxanne) and Gregory Tristan (Bonnie), Gina Ramirez, Elena Reyes (Jose), Carmen Ruelas (Torivio), Alejandro Ramirez, Jr. (Arlene), Lora Christine Zapata, Robert Martin Zapata (Mylinda), Carlos R. Zapata, Angela M. Trejo (Alfred), Monica Zapata and Melanie Zapata; great-grandchildren, Samantha and Sierra Guajardo, Gabrielle, Briana, Serena and Merley Tristan, Gonzalo Tristan IV, Gino, Gianna, Layla, Logan, Gywen and Giselle Tristan, Jacob and Matthew Hausauar, Armando and Javier Reyes, Elisa, Torivio, Jr. and Benjamin Ruelas, Alfredo C. Hernandez, Zachary, Esteban and Adam Zapata, Noel and Erin Zapata, Israel Zapata; one great-great granddaughter, Genesis Tristan; cousin, Daniel Castillo (Lorraine) and his children, Julia, Elizabeth, Tony and Danny.

ROSARY

TUESDAY

SEPTEMBER 10, 2013

7:00 P.M.

PORTER LORING CHAPEL

1101 McCULLOUGH AVE.

PROCESSION

WEDNESDAY

SEPTEMBER 11, 2013

9:30 A.M.

DEPARTS PORTER LORING CHAPEL

MASS

10:00 A.M.

OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE CATHOLIC CHURCH

1321 EL PASO ST.

Interment in San Fernando Cemetery II.