Yvonne Herrera Cantilo

On March 24, 2017, our beloved mother, Yvonne Cantilo, completed her works in this life and rejoined our father in the Lord’s house. She was surrounded by her loving family whose heartbreak is tempered only a little by the knowledge that Yvy and Luisma are together again. Born in Buenos Aires on December 19, 1933, a date that coincidentally years later would also be her wedding day, she lived a full life, replete with challenges and adventures. She resided at various times in Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile, Miami Florida, Picayune Mississippi, Houston Texas, Rockledge Florida, Huntsville Alabama, Atlanta Georgia and, finally Austin Texas, sharing each move with Luis, the love of her life, and their ever-growing brood of devoted and incredibly perfect children.

Typical of her time and place in Buenos Aires, her formal education ended with high school. This could never be apparent to those who met her because our mother was an incredibly self-educated individual whose voracious reading and world travels made her instantly informative about world history and cultures, music of all genres, the world’s great works of art and architecture, the written word and so much more. She spoke Spanish, English and French like a native and mastered German and Italian as well. She even developed some working knowledge of Portuguese. Over the years she spent time as a homemaker but also held a wide variety of jobs, principally in retail. For many years and until her last days with us she was also a professional translator among several languages. Most remarkable in all of this was the humble and self-effacing way in which she shared this truly incredible store of diverse knowledge.

She was an incredibly keen communicator able always to find the precise expression with which to convey her thoughts. Often this was a combination of Spanish French and English, the challenging mix of languages in which she conversed with much of her family and many of her friends. When the audience was appropriate, she laced it with the right dose of colorful language.

During the many times that the family was tested, she was the rock that kept us all grounded, the endless fount of emotional support that armed us for the disappointments, the unrestrained critic that made us stop being stupid, and the comforting shoulder that enabled us to withstand the worst. In the many happy times life provided, she unleashed the funniest comments, the keenest observations, and the astonishing affection she had for the entire family and group of friends with which she shared her life. There was always a special place in her heart for her grandchildren and she never ceased tracking their progress from infancy to adulthood with unbounded love and affection.

She is preceded in death by her loving husband of more than half a century, Luis, by her parents, Enrique and Isabel, by her brother Enrique, and by her sisters Isabel and Beatriz. She is survived by her loving children Patrick and wife Judy, Cristina, Xavier and wife Audrey, Diego, Stephanie and husband Dave, and Phillip and wife Joy. She also leaves behind her brothers José María, Ricardo, Francisco, and Miguel, and her sisters Victoria and María José, as well as her grandchildren Michael and wife Justine, Jeremiah and wife Jessicka, Daniel, Nicholas, Christian, Brandon, Kyle, Ashley, Jackson, Brooke, Mia and Isabel, and great-granddaughter Ruby.

Those of us fortunate enough to have shared her life will long feel an incredible emptiness but must rejoice in the knowledge that her love, wisdom and exceptional humor will now brighten the days of all with whom she shares the Lord’s house.

Memorial Mass will be conducted at 10:00 am on Monday, the 27th of March 2017, at St. Theresa's Catholic Church, 4311 Small Drive, Austin, TX 78731. Memorial reception to follow, Monday evening at 6701 Valburn Drive B, Austin, Texas 78731 from 6:00-8:00pm.