Teresa Juarez Parra

“Teresita” was born to Donato and Refugia Aragon Juarez on April 8, 1936, in Clint, TX. As their third child raised on a farm, Teresita loved being outdoors and would climb and eat fruit right off the fruit trees. Her love of nature, both flora and fauna became a lifelong pleasure. She was feisty, witty, and precocious.

As a pre-teen, Teresa and her family left their beloved farm and moved to Ysleta, where she attended high school. She married Manuel Parra who attended Jefferson when she was 18 years old. They bore and raised six children together with firmness and tenderness, and after some time in Ysleta, they moved to the Thomas Manor/Riverside area.

Teresa was a home maker and quite the seamstress until her thirties when she began selling Avon and then later worked as a Vista Volunteer. She also worked for Project Bravo and was later employed at Cardinal Health, formerly Convertors, and served as a laboratory analyst for more than 25 years prior to her retirement. She was a lifelong avid reader and enjoyed working in her garden, the beauty of nature, and all of God’s creatures.

Raised as a true Roman Catholic, Teresa vowed to her lifelong catholic faith at a very early age. She taught CCD and RCIA classes for over forty-five years at various churches but mostly at Saint Paul the Apostle on Mimosa Drive. She also served in social justice ministries and AIDS Advocacy at Saint Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church.

Reflecting the love and compassion that Jesus showed the world is what Teresa lived and always practiced. She recited the rosary to start her day, and joy effortlessly beamed brightly from her eyes and smile. She always glowed with the presence of our loving God. For her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, she was the beacon of hope, our pillar of strength, our gentle wisdom in any situation. She also gave of herself to strangers in need and faced all her challenges with courage, conviction and perseverance.

Teresa took her last breaths surrounded by her children and grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her ex-husband Manuel, sons Manuel Parra Jr., David J. Parra, and Rafael J. Parra, and sons in law Marcelo Lujan and David Ryan. She is also preceded in death by her parents Refugia and Donato, siblings Donato Jr., Narcisa, Lorenzo, Casimiro, Gabriel, Cruz and Miguel Juarez.

Teresa is survived by: Siblings Juan Juarez, Amada Juarez Ramos and Katie Cruz; Children: daughter Anita Lujan, son Lorenzo Gerardo “Jerry” Parra and spouse Bruce Cartwright, daughter Judy Isabel Parra and partner Jason Borrego, as well as her daughter in law Yolanda Rosales Parra; Grandchildren: Santiago “Jimmy” Garcia Jr., Adela F. Parra, Enrique “Kiki” Cabral, Veronica Parra, Victoria Parra, Joseph D. Martinez, and David E. Parra, plus four great grandchildren – Amber Cabral, Jennifer Liset Cabral, Adrian James Garcia, and Esmeriah Grace Jones. Teresa is also survived by her beloved fur babies, elder cat Bonita and the joy of her days, lady dog Bitsy.

Visitation Services honoring Teresa will be held at Martin Funeral Home East located at 1460 George Dieter Drive on Thursday, October 5th from 4-8pm. A rosary service will commence at 6pm. Mass will be held on Friday, October 6th at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church located on 8600 Winchester Rd beginning at 10am followed by interment at Mount Carmel Cemetery beginning at 11:30am.

Flowers are welcome, but if you choose, you can also donate to Unbound, a non-for-profit organization that helps the poor and marginalized become self-sufficient: https://www.unbound.org/, DMRS, a full-service immigration legal aid clinic serving low-income immigrants and refugees serving the El Paso area:https://www.elpasodiocese.org/diocesan-migrant--refugee-services.html, or any charity of your choosing.