Josephine N. Ropella

A Mass of Christian Burial is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4th at Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church with Father Gavin Vaverek officiating. The family will receive friends at Bright-Holland Funeral Home Friday from 5 – 8 p.m.

Mrs. Ropella, the daughter of Jesus Nemenzo and Evangelina Bibit, was born July 23, 1956, in the Philippines. While in the Philippines she was an elementary school teacher and became a school principal. Upon moving to the United States, she was a cashier at Walmart and a housekeeper at the hospital and several hotels. She later became a jail guard at UTMB in the Telford Unit. Josephine then was able to realize her dream of becoming a nurse. When she received her nursing degree she worked at Paris Regional Medical Center for a several years. The last ten years of her nursing career was spent working at UTMB Health.

Survivors include three children, Jed Reyes, April Gesman & husband Joenard, and Fil-Am Reyes & wife Janel, three grandchildren, Chadmer Reyes, Philip Reyes, and Janella Reyes, and siblings, Arnulfo Nemenzo, Mariquit Perez, Geraldine Basera, and Elizabeth Nella along with numerous nieces & nephews and a host of friends.