Stella M. Perez

On December 15, 1941, Stella May Morales Perez was born. Her parents were Edward Morales and Maria Amparo Martinez. Stella departed this mortal coil on October 17, 2022. By all accounts, it was a good run.

Stella was a devoted wife, mother, friend and ultimately, grandmother. She grew up in a neighborhood near the Rock Quarry, two blocks from the San Antonio River, first on E. Huisache Avenue and a bit later on Myrtle Street. Stella’s childhood days - she was known to some as “Tanna” - were filled with riding bikes, swimming, building tree houses and, on occasion, mischief. Many of her first friends from the neighborhood would remain loyal for her entire life.

Stella’s early education was at Our Lady of Sorrows. Though she had some strong words for a handful of the nuns that ran the place, later in life she would regard OLOS quite fondly. Stella went to Providence High School and, later, made her Society Debut in 1956 at the Municipal Auditorium. Stella graduated in 1959 and would, when she moved back to San Antonio, become an active part of her graduating class, helping with reunions, fundraising, and other events.

Immediately after Providence, Stella took an entry-level job with Southwestern Bell in the CTI unit. Later she would move up into Operator Services. Years later she moved up into management. Finally, years later, once again, she moved up, working with budgets and planning, into the Network department. She was known for being tough and making you fight for your dollars. She stayed with Southwestern Bell (which later became AT&T) for more than thirty years, retiring in 1993.

On February 4, 1968, Stella Morales married Robert Perez. Stella & Robert Perez would be married for fifty-four years, living in Dallas, Houston, back to Dallas, and finally returning to San Antonio in 2008.

The happy couple had two children, Robert Jr. and Ellice Perez. Stella chose to be a working-mom. She never stopped working because, “in case anything ever happened, I need to take care of my children.” As a mother, Stella was a good teacher, demanding, and generous. Her love was often tough, but it was just her way of showing love.

As a person, Stella was unapologetically herself. When speaking, Stella was often quite candid and preferred others who were the same. You always knew where you stood with Stella. No guesswork involved.

Stella was loved not in spite of her disposition but because of it.

There were so many people that were important to Stella – old friends, close friends, and a small army of family members. Stella loved so many people. She shared her love in many ways, but in her later years she really just wanted to “visit”, tell jokes, swap stories, reminisce, and play cards. She could do it for hours and hours and hours. It was her way of connecting.

Stella had many interests. She loved to laugh and was a devoted reader of a wide range of comic strips, from Calvin and Hobbes to Dennis the Menace to Garfield to Peanuts. She would forward her favorites to loved-ones almost daily. Stella also loved following the British royal family. She would take some comfort knowing her own departure would be so close to the Queen’s. She loved Panda bears, collected Waterford crystal, and loved a good mystery, working hard to solve the case before the famous detective did.

Finally, Stella took the most pleasure in her two granddaughters. She loved talking to them, Skyping with them, reading to them, showering them with gifts and, in spite of her inability to carry a tune, singing to them. In fact, Stella’s been singing off key for years. Occasionally, in her youth, on request, Stella would sing, “I Could Have Danced All Night” while her audience of, among others, Aunt Pauline and her cousin Alex Rojas, rolled on the floor with laughter. It’s a story she told with pride. Stella loved to laugh and wanted others to do the same.

Stella is survived by her husband, Robert; her two children; and her two grandchildren.

Services in honor of Stella’s live will be held privately.