Nellie Soto

SAN ANGELO Manuela "Nellie" Soto was the walking, talking definition of love. Her love and compassion reached well beyond her large family and while she gave it without expectation of return, it came back to her many times over. Nellie Soto, beloved daughter, mother, sister, grandmother, great-grandmother, great-great-grandmother, aunt and friend died Thursday, Sept. 12, 2013, at her residence in San Angelo surrounded by her family. Viewing will be between 8 a.m. and noon Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, at Johnson's Funeral Home with graveside service directly following at 1 p.m. in Lawnhaven Memorial Gardens. She will be reunited with her husband, Genaro, who died in 2012; her parents, Crecencio and Concepción Garcia; sister Felice Tafolla; brothers Crecencio Jr., Fred, Arnulfo (Arnold), Willie Garcia; and grandson Mark Hinojosa, who all preceded her in death. She is survived by daughters Stella Soto Lasswell and husband Bob and Sylvia Soto PhD and husband Joe Hernandez, all of San Angelo. She is also survived by sons Tomas Soto and wife Veronica of Austin, Genaro Soto III and wife Victoria of Houston and Roberto Soto and wife Virginia San Miguel, MD, of Portland, Ore. She is survived by grandchildren Sandra Soto, PhD, of Tucson, Ariz., Lisa Estrada of Dallas, Vickie Soto and Tomas Soto Jr. of Austin, Javier Soto of Portland, Ore., Esteban Soto, Daniel Soto, Laura Soto and Ana Soto of Houston. Great-grandchildren are Andrew, Matthew and Adriana Soto of Austin, Marcus Estrada and Michael Sevier of San Angelo; great-great-grandchildren James and Aiden Soto of Austin. Also surviving her are her sisters, Marcelina Wozniak and Elaine Davila; sisters-in-law, Bertha Garcia and Mary Garcia; and sisters-in-law Bernice Cano, Josie Soto and Emma Soto. Mother was an avid reader blessed with a gentle sense of humor whose other blessings included a long and happy marriage of which was born five children, Stella, Tom, Genaro, Sylvia and Roberto - all of whom succeeded in their lives and careers. The success and economic security her children and grandchildren enjoy today are a far cry from the hard scrabble existence Mother knew as a child. She was born Sept. 20, 1921, in San Angelo. Mother was just over eight years old when the stock market crash of 1929 plunged the nation into the Great Depression. As the oldest daughter of a family that earned a meager living toiling in the fields, she was assigned the role of cook and surrogate mother to her younger siblings. The demands of migrant worker existence and the responsibility of caring for the young ones put much formal education out of reach. Though she never really had a childhood, the hard work and responsibility imposed her at such an early age proved to be another of her many blessings. She mastered the art of making tasty meals from the meager choices available to poor families and developed strong and loving bonds with her brothers and sisters that transcend time and distance. That love she gave and received did not diminish or fade with the years. On the contrary, that capacity for love Mother developed in the cotton fields only grew as the family grew and time passed. She married Genaro Soto, known as "Chico", on Feb. 8, 1943, in San Angelo, Texas. Their loving union lasted almost 70 years. As her family grew, so did the families of her brothers and sisters. Family occasions meant lots of people ? children, adults all hugging, visiting, exchanging stories and many laughs and, of course, sharing lots of good food. Mother was known for her delicious German chocolate cake. The memories of those occasions are treasures to all of us fortunate enough to have taken part in them. It was a treasure to which Mother contributed generously. Her smile was warm and her laughter was as gentle as her manner. The many lives she touched are the richer for having known her. Blessed would be another way to say that because it was a love that even the combined weights of a Depression and the deprivations of poverty couldn't crush. Not only did that love survive, it flourished, multiplied and will survive her. That is her blessing to us. The family wishes to thank Hospice of San Angelo, Dr. Chang, Rene, Brad, Minnie, Karen and Carlos. Loving caregivers who allowed Mother to remain at home until the end: Cruz Martinez, Yolanda Gonzales, Linda Saldana, Akiko Gadlin and Noelia Martinez. We grieve our Mother's loss, but the gentle touch of her love will always be with us. May God bless her and keep her. Family and friends may sign an online register book at johnsons-funeralhome.com.