Gloria G. Lopez

Visitation: 10/29/2026

4:00-5:00 PM Family

5:00-8:00 PM Public

6:30 PM Rosary

Words from Family and Friends after rosary

Funeral Service: 10/30/26

St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church 10727 Hartsook St. Houston, TX 77034

12:00 PM Mass

Committal Service -Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery

2:00 PM ETA

Reception to follow in the reception hall of St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church

Gloria was preceded in death by her parents, husband George Lopez and daughter Veronica Lopez as well as several relatives and long-time friends. She is survived by two daughters, Marissela Ramirez (Rene) and Dianna Espinedo (Michael), and son Donelo George Lopez (Elizabeth). Seven grandchildren Michelle Ramos (Yohan), Donnie Lopez (Jordan), Celeste Espinedo, Erica Mohs, Kristina Lopez, Allyson Barker (Brian), Constance Krause (Jake). And eight great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Gloria loved the Blessed Trinity (the Father, Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit) with all her heart. And she loved her family more than life itself. At a very young age, she felt the call to the Catholic faith and community. As a devoted Catholic, she never wavered in her faith. She found comfort in prayer and bible study. She attended retreats (cursillos) with her husband, George, for several years. This is where she met several of her long-time friends and connected with relatives. She also found spiritual friendships with leaders of the Catholic community, in particular, Archbishop Patricio Flores. She was very fond of them and spoke of them dearly. She found comfort and guidance in their explanations of the Gospels.

Gloria had an extraordinary life journey. She was born to Luz and Herminia Gonzalez in a small farming community in the outskirts of Monterrey, Mexico called Pesquería. When Gloria was a little over one year old, her mother died giving birth to her siblings (triplets). She was mostly raised by her grandmother and aunt. She attended elementary school in Monterrey until the fifth grade. When she was about 12 years old, she and one of her aunts immigrated to the United States and settled in Houston, Tx, where some of her relatives lived. She found work almost immediately. Of course, children worked at an early age back then. She joined Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church community. Several years later after attending Sunday mass, she met her future husband, George, through one of her cousins. They married on Feb 15, 1953 (a day after Valentine’s Day). George was in the U.S. Army, and his miliary assignment was in Fairbanks, Alaska. So, Gloria having ventured from Mexico to the US, had no trepidation of following her husband to Alaska. She had many vivid memories about her newlywed days in Alaska and the harsh winters while being pregnant with their first child.

After military life, they eventually settled in the northeast area of Houston, a neighborhood called Denver Harbor. Remarkably their neighborhood was near a Catholic church, Church of the Resurrection. Affectionally she was part of this community for over 70 years. With much pride, she was a member of the Altar Society -- the ladies who took care of the church after daily mass making sure things were tidy and put away according to customs / rituals. She joyfully attended bible study there. Through the bible study group, she and George were very fortunate and were able to travel to Europe and visited some notable Christian sites such as St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome and Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. She had beautiful memories and felt blessed to have been able to visit the holy Christian sites.

Gloria loved to care for her young grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She would rock them to sleep and dreamed that this is how her own mother, Hermenia Gonzalez, had cared for her as a baby. Since Gloria’s mother died when she was little, she had no recollection of her. For several years, Gloria took care of the granddaughters before / after school and during summer vacations. She taught Spanish to her grandchildren and great-children by playing card games, especially, Loteria (Mexican bingo); and cooking delicious homemade Mexican dishes like fideo, tortillas de maiz, frijoles fritos, arroz, carne guisada, etc. Good food and good conversation were had by all at meal-times.

Gloria tended her home garden with great care and love. There was no plant that would not survive under her care – gardenias, roses, azaleas, pear trees, etc. all would thrive and spread roots. She and her youngest daughter, Veronica, were known to make homemade dog food and cat food for their pets. They cared for a few stray dogs and cats that were very sick; notably, the pets miraculously recovered and lived long lives.

Gloria loved to reminisce about the small town that she grew up in, Pesqueria, Mexico. She loved to tell jokes, stories and anecdotes about herself, her relatives and neighbors. She loved to laugh and enjoy the simple things in life. She was a very talented seamstress. She worked for a tailor that made men’s custom suits for a several years. She sewed her children’s school uniforms, made curtains, bedspreads, pillow covers, etc. For Halloween, she sewed costumes. Oh, how her granddaughters loved their Little Mermaid and Jasmine costumes! Seriously, there was no clothing alteration that she could not handle with expertise. At the Denver Harbor Senior Center, she crafted numerous crystal ornaments, casual jewelry / brooches, glazed pottery, etc. The level of detail was truly amazing and artistic. In her spare time, she crocheted blankets and knitted scarves and the like. These are beautiful, special one-of-kind heirlooms. Priceless.

By the grace of God, Gloria and her husband were able to send their children to Catholic schools. To this day, many people have remarked, “How did they do that – send four kids to Catholic school? They were not well-off.” Truly, God works in mysterious ways and blessings are all around us. Whole-heartedly Gloria praised God for all the blessings around her throughout her life.

When talking on the phone / FaceTime or in-person with Gloria, she would always end the conversation with her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren with “good-bye and I love you” in Spanish. And she would emphasize holding up an arthritic index finger - saying in Spanish “Pórtate bien. No te cuesta”. Which means “It doesn’t cost you anything to be good. So be good!” Be good to God, to yourself and to others – this is what Gloria embodied for her family and friends.

Matthew 22:34-40 New International Version

The Greatest Commandment

34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”