Aurora L. Garcia

Our beloved Mother, Aurora DeLeon Garcia, passed away on May 22, 2015. She was born in Monterrey, Mexico on Sept. 9, 1932. She will be dearly missed by her husband of 62 years, Melesio T. Garcia, their four children and their spouses, Aurora & Chris, Fernando & Mary, Ana & Gene, and Mario & Debi, and her grandchildren, Elena. Andrew & his wife Jen, Brandi, Travis, Matthew, Tracy, Jacob, Brianne & her husband Aaron, Bailey, & great grandchildren, Tyler, Leila & Carter. She had a true and loving friendship with Dad’s sisters and brother-in-laws in San Antonio, and we celebrated many family occasions with our extended family in both San Antonio and Mexico.

Mom was generous and caring, a devoted wife, loving mother, true friend and favorite aunt to numerous nieces and nephews. She was foremost the best Mom in the world, seeing to our every need, including fabulous cooking and making the best school lunches ever. She was very creative, crocheting & knitting numerous colorful hats, scarves, vests, shawls, ponchos, purses, beaded socks, tablecloths, bedspreads, baby blankets and afghans for us, her friends, and our friends too. We still have many of these handmade items which we will always treasure.

She was famous for her tamales, always made right after Thanksgiving, so Dad could enjoy fresh tamales for his birthday at the beginning of December. So many varieties, and all delicious and sooo good. She started out making the tamales alone, later the tradition became a party with family and friends helping to prep and assemble over 100 dozen tamales. We would cook the biggest pot of assorted tamales as soon as it was filled, so we could taste and enjoy them together. Then all who helped would take some home. Another 6 pots or more were frozen to be cooked and enjoyed with family on Christmas Eve. The remainder of these would then be distributed amongst family and friends and we always took several dozen to Big Bend for New Years. Also at Christmas, and throughout the year, Mom made her favorite pineapple empanadas, which she shared with friends. We loved having these for breakfast.

Mom had a love for plants and flowers, her favorite being yellow roses which she grew in the yard of every house we lived in. She enjoyed gardening and carefully tended and watered her plants. She grew several large lemon trees which produced so abundantly that Mom began to freeze the juice and we always had lots of great lemonade. She also grew papaya and tangerines trees from seeds and lots of chiles and many flowers.

Mom attended all our school functions and volunteered for many, while also working as a Stanley Home Products representative, traveling extensively to Stanley functions all over the country and enjoying every minute of her employment adventures. We have many of her Stanley awards and mementos, which were often in the form of a rose, her favorite flower. After twenty five years with Stanley Products, Mom went to work at Arne’s Wholesale, in the floral department. She made wonderful lifelong friends at both Stanley and Arne’s. Mom loved her friends dearly.

Our Mother’s love will never be replaced or substituted, and we will miss her dearly. She was kind, considerate and had a big heart, giving both her time and energy to help her friends or family when needed. Every day we will feel her love and never forget all she taught us. To be kind, forgiving and to love each other, always remembering that kindness is best.