Mary Lou Kregel, age 68, passed away on July 12, 2026. Born in Harlingen, Texas on July 19, 1957, Mary Lou was a longtime resident of Corpus Christi, Texas. She will be remembered with deep respect and enduring affection by all who knew her, and for a life marked by steadfast faith and generous care for others.
Following in the footsteps of her father, Mary Lou obtained her degree in Education, with an emphasis in special education with a bilingual focus, from Pan American University. In 2010, she earned her master’s in Reading from Texas A&M Corpus Christi, reflecting a lifelong commitment to learning and to serving students with skill and compassion.
She was married for 27 years to SFC John William Kregel II, with whom she raised three childrenand together they created many cherished family memories.
For more than 30 years, Mary Lou devoted herself to the field of education. She served with Raymondville ISD, San Benito ISD, and Bad Hersfeld Elementary School in Bad Hersfeld, Germany and she retired from CCISD after 25 years of dedicated service. Her work was shaped by a faithful sense of responsibility and a generous spirit, offered day after day in the steady ways that make a lasting difference.
Mary Lou’s Catholic faith was central to who she was. A member of Legions of Mary and Guadalupana, she remained true in her devotion and found strength and purpose through her faith. She also loved traveling, embracing the wider world with quiet appreciation. Her generosity showed especially in her advocacy for children causes and in her annual tradition of giving and donating on her birthday to the food bank in her childrens names —an enduring expression of love, gratitude, and care for those in need.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Joe V and Maria Dolores Delgado, her siblings, Alfredo "Freddie" Delgado and Rosalinda "Rosie" Delgado.
Mary Lou leaves her memories to be shared by her children, Heidi Joe Kregel, CPL John William Kregel, III (Athena), and Natalie Roxanne Kregel; brothers and sisters, Joe Delgado, Corina D. Torres (Jaime); niece Kelly Celina Torres and nephew Kevin James Torres.
Visitation will be held at Funeraria Del Angel, 4901 Everhart Road, Corpus Christi, TX 78411, US, on July 19, 2026, from 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm, with the Holy Rosary at the same location on July 19, 2026, from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm; visitation will continue at Funeraria Del Angel on July 20, 2026, from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm.
A Funeral Mass will be held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Corpus Christi, 5830 Williams Dr, Corpus Christi, TX 78412, on July 20, 2026, from 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm, followed by a Committal Service at Memory Gardens, 8200 Old Brownsville Road, Corpus Christi, TX 78415, on July 20, 2026, from 3:00 pm to 3:30 pm.
Mary Lou will be dearly missed and reverently remembered—beloved for the life she lived, faithful in what she held sacred, and generous in the many ways she gave of herself to others.
