Amelia Desentis Corona

She was born on June 8, 1929, in Mexico City to Miguel Desentis and Maria Cristina Linares, the second of seven children. Amelia and her five sisters and one brother grew up in Mexico City surrounded by a large extended family of cousins, aunts, and uncles, and she maintained close bonds with her many cousins and friends throughout her life.

Amelia attended the prestigious Colegio Frances from elementary school through high school, where the rigorous curriculum, taught by strict French nuns, instilled in her a lifelong love of the French language and literature. She also learned calligraphy there and maintained beautiful handwriting for the rest of her life. The friendships she made at school lasted a lifetime.

After high school, Amelia attended La Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, graduating with a degree in Philosophy and Spanish Literature. Some of her classmates went on to become well-known poets and writers in Mexico, and the intellectual richness of her professors, fellow students, and the literary works she studied left a deep and lasting impression on her. To the end of her life, she loved telling her children about what an extraordinary time her college years had been— recounting stories of her friends and fellow students, and reciting passages from Spanish and French literary and historical works. On long family car trips, long before cell phones and other distractions, Amelia would keep the children spellbound with stories from classics like Don Quixote and El Cid Campeador.

After college, Amelia found what she considered the ideal job: librarian at the Benjamin Franklin Library at the American Embassy in Mexico City, where she worked with books and led special projects at the Embassy’s direction. Even better, it was there that she met her future husband and life partner, Javier Corona, who worked with the Embassy’s Cultural Attaché.

Amelia and Javier began dating and quickly discovered how much they shared — playing tennis, socializing with their circle of friends, and attending concerts and art exhibitions together. Javier’s work overseeing American art in Mexico City became a mutual passion they enjoyed side by side. Both deeply family-oriented, with relatives throughout Mexico City, they grew close to one another’s families as their relationship deepened. They married in Mexico City in 1960, surrounded by family and friends, and their marriage lasted until Javier’s death in 2003.

Amelia left her job after marrying and devoted herself to building a family, running their household, and being Javier’s partner in every sense. His position required frequent entertaining, and Amelia proved a natural and gracious hostess. Through these years, and through the extensive travel their life together afforded them, they developed a deep and shared passion for cuisine of every kind.

Amelia and Javier raised three daughters and one son in Mexico City, where the family lived until 1982, when Javier resigned from the American Embassy. In recognition of his exemplary work on behalf of American arts in Mexico, he was granted permanent U.S. residency for himself and his family, and the couple moved with their children to Austin, Texas, hoping for a peaceful retirement in a place where their children could attend college. That was not to be their fate: soon after the move, their life savings were frozen in Mexican banks as the peso was devalued by 90 percent. In need of a new source of income, Javier and Amelia drew on their experience, their shared love of food, and the recipes they had gathered over a lifetime of travel to open a restaurant, Las Palomas, in 1983. With her culinary skills and perfectionism, Amelia helped introduce authentic interior Mexican cuisine to Austin. The restaurant remains a beloved icon in the community to this day, and through her cooking and hospitality, Amelia touched countless lives. While they faced unexpected challenges after they left Mexico, Amelia and Javier never regretted their decision to move to the United States. The family leaned into their new life – learning the language, embracing local customs, and building meaningful friendships. Amelia and every member of her family went on to build successful and fulfilling lives that made her proud.

Mealtimes were sacred in the Corona family — carefully planned, carefully executed, and always at a table properly set. The whole family sat and ate together until everyone had finished, and the conversation flowed freely, with no phones at the table. Those traditions took root in her children and were passed along to the next generation, who still treasure the lively conversation and wise counsel that filled those meals. When her children came to her for advice, Amelia rarely gave them a simple answer. Instead, she taught them to reason through the problem themselves, often asking, “What would you say to your best friend?” — helping them learn to find their own answers to questions of right and wrong.

Amelia made sure her children were exposed to the extracurricular activities that matched their individual interests, and she remained a masterful storyteller and conversationalist who entertained and guided her children until the end of her life. She was also close to her many nieces and inspired them in ways as varied as they were many. In every sense, she was the nucleus of the family she built, a role reflected in her constant love and attention.

Amelia loved sewing and embroidery, often fashioning clothing from fabrics gathered on her travels. Her signature touch was an embroidered ladybug, which she added to the clothes she made for her children when they were young — and to this day, ladybugs hold a special place in the family’s heart. One of her favorite traditions was making pillows for babies born into the family or to close friends, and many people still cherish the beautiful pillows she gave them years ago.

Amelia loved to travel, and her favorite destination was Paris, where she continued to journey with her daughters even after her husband’s passing. Her children will deeply miss their conversations with her and the stories she so loved to tell, whether she had just spoken with someone in Mexico or was sharing the latest news about her beloved grandchildren.

Amelia’s life was shaped by a strong faith and high moral standards rooted in the teachings of the Catholic Church. She was a perfectionist who always wanted to do things the right way, every time, and she brought that same spirit to her love of puzzles and games — crosswords, Chinese checkers, and chess among her favorites. She was always fair, but always competitive: she would not roll over and let even her six-year-old grandson beat her at chess. Throughout her adult life, she was devoted to her family, a devotion made plain in her care for her husband as his health declined, and in her constant care for her children and grandchildren.

To those who knew her best, Amelia was defined by her kind demeanor, her wisdom, and her generosity. She is also remembered for her simple elegance — her beautiful hair and blue eyes reflected the kindness of her soul, and she was meticulous in her appearance, often accenting her outfits with her favorite scarves and pearls. She would dress up even at home, because, as she always said, “You never know who might come to visit.”

Amelia was an extraordinary woman who filled her family with love and guided them with her wisdom and strength. Her passing leaves a profound void for everyone who loved her, but the love and shared memories she leaves behind will remain, and in time, provide peace and comfort to all who carry them forward.

Survived by

Daughters: Amelia Corona Pitchford, MariCarmen Corona Dale, and Alexandra Corona

Son: Javier Corona

Sons-in-Law: Terry Pitchford, Robert Dale, and Faustinus Deraet

Grandchildren: Alex Dale, Chris Dale, Sterling Pitchford, Javier Corona, and Ania Deraet

Great-Grandchildren: Emma Dale and Jack Dale

Siblings: Maria Cristina Orozco, Marcela Lopez Portillo, and Miguel Desentis

Predeceased by

Her husband, Javier Corona, and their first-born, Amelita, as well as her sisters Maria Eugenia

Desentis, Magdalena Desentis, and Leticia Rodriguez.

Funeral Mass on Monday, August 10, 2026 · 11:00 AM, St. John Neumann Catholic Church, 5455 Bee Caves Rd, West Lake Hills, TX 78746.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Lone Star Paralysis Foundation in her honor.