Stella Leal Reyna

She was preceded in death by her husband of 49 years, Rafael “Ralph” C. Reyna, Jr.

Stella is survived by her daughters, Melissa Reyna (Ken McConnell), Michele Fuentes (Albert Guerrero), and Veronica Reyna (Tanmoy Kumar); sister, Lydia Rios; brothers, Marcial Leal, Jr., and Henry Leal; and six grandchildren, Brandon McConnell; Sam, Gabe, and Mia Fuentes; Raj and Eva Sinha; plus extended family and friends.

Stella had the heart of a teacher, and with this gift, touched many lives. She was the rock of her family, and she modeled compassion and strength. She was a devoted soulmate to Ralph. She passed on to her daughters examples of determination and not taking “no” for an answer. Her grandchildren were showered with hugs. Stella loved reading, doing crossword puzzles, watching true crime shows, and laughing with friends and family. She loved joking about people being shocked to find out her favorite movie was Misery. Upon retirement, Stella moved to the Rio Grande Valley to help with grandchildren. She loved spending time outside with her plants and playing chalupa with her friends.

Stella graduated from Edison in 1960. She earned her English degree from Southwest Texas State in 1963, where she served as newspaper editor. She began her award-winning career as an English teacher at Edison High School and later continued at Holmes High School. Her lifelong commitment to equitable education influenced generations of students.

A woman of deep faith, Stella was a longtime parishioner at St. Luke’s Catholic Church in San Antonio, where she volunteered as a religious education teacher and later served as Director of Religious Education. In Mission, she attended Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. Stella personified faith-plus-action throughout her life, and she will be greatly missed.

A Rosary will be held at 7:00 p.m. Friday, February 20, 2026, at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, 620 N Dunlap Ave in Mission, Texas.

The family will receive guests from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday, February 23, 2026, at Porter Loring Mortuary, located at 1101 McCullough Ave, San Antonio, Texas.

A Rosary will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at St. Luke Catholic Church, 4603 Manitou Dr., San Antonio, Texas. Mass will follow at 10:00 a.m., with interment afterward at Holy Cross Cemetery.

The services can be viewed by clicking this link: https://s3-us-east-2.amazonaws.com/mf-fwp/private/reyna_20260224.html