Mary Lou Rodriguez

Born in 1942 in McAllen, Mary Lou was the third of nine children born to Jesus and Librada Herrera (Ayala). Growing up in a large and musical family, she learned early the importance of faith, family and caring for one another. Music filled their home, and Mary Lou found her place in the harmony, often singing alongside her sisters. As one of the older children, she worked hard to help her parents provide for their family and became a source of love and support to her younger siblings.

Mary Lou became the mother of two boys, Jaime and Omar, whom she loved deeply. Raising them as a single mother required strength and hard work, qualities Mary Lou had in abundance. Her family would also grow to include Donnie and Dee Dee, who became an important part of her life. While raising her family, Mary Lou built a career in the medical field, working for many years on the business and administrative side of medical practices.

Throughout her life, she answered to many names: daughter, sister, mother, aunt, friend and caregiver. Of all the titles she carried, perhaps none made her prouder than Grandma Lulu.

Her four grandchildren—Marichel, Aden, Isaac and Caleb—were among the greatest joys of her life. Time with Grandma Lulu didn't have to be elaborate to become a memory. There were late-night movies with plenty of snacks, simple time spent together, and even chickens that may have started out “for the grandkids” but quickly became hers, running to Mary Lou and happily settling into her lap.

She was witty and playful, adventurous and sometimes silly, with just enough gullibility to give those who loved her something to laugh about. She took great pride in her yard, surrounding herself with plants and flowering shrubs, and had a creative spirit that showed in so many of the things she enjoyed. She sewed beautiful clothes and special pieces for those she loved, knitted and crocheted, and perhaps most of all, found joy in cooking and baking for others.

The holidays were among Mary Lou's favorite times of the year. Thanksgiving belonged at her house, where her famous blueberry pie had a place of honor on a dessert table filled with her baked goodies. Christmas meant beautifully decorated trees—and rarely just one—and New Year's Eve meant sopapillas, a family tradition carried on year after year.

She also had a gift for making people feel remembered. There always seemed to be a card for the occasion, filled in her beautiful handwriting with words thoughtfully chosen for the person receiving it. She welcomed people into her home and family with an open heart, often making those who entered her life feel not like in-laws or extended family, but simply her own.

At the center of it all was her faith in Jesus Christ and the word of God. Perhaps no possession reflected that more than her Bible, worn from use, highlighted and underlined, with handwritten notes filling its pages from front to back. Mary Lou was a praying woman who opened her home for Bible studies and church gatherings, shared the Word of God freely, and faithfully prayed for the people she loved. Through every season of life, she reminded her family to seek God first.

Mary Lou was preceded in death by her parents, Jesus and Librada Herrera (Ayala); her sisters, Maria Elena Infante and Maria Alicia Torres; and her brother, Sergio Arturo Herrera.

Mary Lou leaves behind her sons, Jaime Rodriguez and his wife, Samantha, and Omar Rodriguez and his wife, Debralee; Donnie Rodriguez and Dee Dee Shough; and the four grandchildren she so dearly treasured, Marichel, Aden, Isaac and Caleb. She is also survived by her siblings, Jesus Herrera, Lilia Villa, Santiago Herrera, Esmeralda Bechtol and Cecelia (Raul), as well as many nieces and nephews, extended family members and friends.

Perhaps Mary Lou's greatest legacy is the faith she lived and shared—a faith in Jesus Christ that she planted in the lives of those she loved. And for the woman who was so proud to be called Grandma Lulu, those seeds will continue to grow for generations to come.

A visitation celebrating Mary Lou’s life will be held on Thursday, October 1, 2026, from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Funeraria Del Angel in Mission, with a service at 7:00 p.m. A funeral service will be held on Friday, October 2, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., followed by burial at Valley Memorial Gardens