Lisa Muyres Pack

Born January 8,1957 in San Antonio to Betty Jean Cadena Muyres and George J. Muyres Jr., Lisa grew up in San Antonio, Dallas and for a profoundly influential period of her life on the outskirts of Helotes, where her parents purchased a tract of ranchland and built a home.

Lisa and her sister Maria fell in love with the tranquil setting and the opportunity it gave them to have horses. Their early lives were filled with lessons about how to care for horses and ride horses, which allowed them eventually to teach riding and to roam the hills on horseback for hours, reaffirming their connection to the land.

Lisa and her husband, William (Bill) Pack, retired to the family’s property 12 years ago and with a contented group of hounds, a dedicated pair of friends and family members strived to ensure the place was properly loved and tended to.

Lisa graduated from the Ursuline Academy in San Antonio in 1975 and attended St. Mary’s University, the University of Texas at San Antonio and Louisiana State University.

Anthropology was the field that fascinated her throughout life, igniting her love of learning. But that study took up only a portion of her voracious reading habit. Information about history, food, health, tech trends and a regular infusion of romance novels kept her busy mind nourished.

She and her husband Bill were married in Helotes in 1981 after a friend introduced them while both were working in Victoria.

Lisa and Bill lived in Victoria, Houston and Baton Rouge before moving to San Antonio in 2000.

Their 14-year residency in Houston was highlighted by the birth of two incredible daughters – Taylor Alyse in 1982 and Regan Alexandra in 1984.

Lisa, like her mother, had an artistic side. She was fascinated by fabrics and learned how to spin fiber and later how to weave fabric. Early in life, she had her own company that made curtains and provided interior design assistance.

Later, her professional endeavors included a variety of duties, like the oversight of a first-of-its-kind futon outlet in Houston and work for attorneys in both Houston and San Antonio.

But her determined spirit really emerged in the challenges that drew her attention outside of the things that paid bills.

In Houston and Baton Rouge, Lisa became an activist in educational matters – backing a gifted-and-talented program in the Houston elementary school Taylor and Regan attended and steering the development of a charter school in Louisiana – with the goal of increasing the chances her daughters received the education she felt they deserved.

In Helotes, her energies turned more to preserving the older pace and natural wonders of the environment that had defined her.

Lisa’s mother’s extended family had deep roots in the Helotes area. Lisa enjoyed tales of their comings and goings, the highs and lows of the various relatives that roamed the area for generations.

As a result, when a neighborhood organization – the Scenic Loop/Helotes Creek Alliance -formed years ago, she was eager to get involved.

At first, that group fought a proposal that would have expanded the number of lanes on Scenic Loop and drawn more traffic and development to the area.

Later, the fight turned to the development of a massive subdivision further north on Scenic Loop that includes a wastewater treatment plant and devastating threats to Helotes Creek, which cuts through the family’s property and provides groundwater to the aquifers that supply the region’s drinking water.

That battle is ongoing. Lisa worked diligently as secretary of the Scenic Loop organization and was featured regularly in media reports about the threats posed by the planned subdivision.

In addition, she served as secretary for the Senator Frank L. Madla Jr. Natural Area board to strengthen and protect a well-loved tract of open land a few miles from her family’s property.

She cared deeply about the environment and people and all the animals that were entrusted to our care and was never hesitant to pitch in to aid causes she felt would improve things.

Lisa is preceded in death by her parents and her mother-and-father-in-law, Margery and William T. Pack, brother-in-law David Pack, sister-in-law Angie Pack and numerous aunts, uncles and in-laws, including nephew, Jason DeLecour.

She is survived by her husband, William, her daughters, Taylor and Regan, her sister, Maria Mappin, sister-in-law, Carolyn DeLecour, niece Shauna Pack, nephews John Mappin and Joseph Mappin, along with Joseph’s wife Amy and children Margeaux and Jack, niece Georgia Sobel, her husband Nick Sobel and numerous aunts and cousins.

Funeral services will be Friday, November 13, at 6:30 p.m. at Porter Loring Mortuary – West, 1710 W Loop 1604 N in San Antonio, with a public viewing preceding at 5:30 p.m.

A celebration of Lisa's life will be Saturday, November 14 at 11:00 a.m. at the Senator Frank L. Madla, Jr. Natural Area 9780 Menchaca Rd, Helotes, TX 78023.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Scenic Loop/Helotes Creek Alliance, the Madla Park Conservancy, the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance or to a nonprofit of your choice.