Mi vida issue 4

Always Free . GratisMI VIDAMI VIDA

Mauro P. Garcia Funeral Homes, Inc.

MAGAZINE

NOVEMBER 2014

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

Compliments Of St. Peters Home Health, Inc.

1801 E. Main Ste. AAlice, Texas 78332Ph. 361 (664)-7001Fax: (361) 664-7727

Toll Free1-877-279-7710

Analisa Guerra-PenaOWNER St. Peter’s Home Health, Inc. employees (left to right, standing) Reeva Garza,

Mistie Hunter, Tiffany Mendietta, Luz Manrique, Marianne Battice, Priscilla Fullen, and (left to right, sitting) Linda Jo Vargas, Melissa Cardona and Ash-ley Rodriguez. Not pictures are Lori Salinas, Andrea Garcia, Alby Cardenas, Christina Morales, PaulaTiblier and Linda Vargas.

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

Letter from Gilbert N. SaenzThank you Freer Voters!!

Thank you to all of the Freer School District residents who came out to vote this election cycle, regardless

for whom you voted. Thank you for exercising your right and responsibility as citizens of the United States and

the great state of Texas.

I truly appreciate the support and the vote of confidence I received in being elected to the Board. As your

soon-to-be board trustee, I will do my very best to represent the values and concerns of our community, and I

look forward to hearing from you when you have an issue or matter of concern to share with the Board. I am

honoured to have been elected to the Board. I look forward to the challenge!

I had the privilege of running with a very dedicated candidate, JoNell Neese. Her motivations to help improve

our schools are evident and I know she will continue to be there for our kids and community. My sincere con-

gratulations to Jr. Acevedo on his election to the Board. I am looking forward to working with him and forming

a cooperative and successful Board. I would like to extend my appreciation to Saul Hinojosa for his dedication

to our students and his service to our community over the past thirty years as our Principal and Board trustee.

I also know he and his family will continue to support our schools.

Thank you to all of the supporters who helped make my campaign a success. Thank you for the endorsements

and messages of support I received from our local community groups and to all of the people who helped post

signs around town, those who posted signs on your lawns, sent emails and texts, provided advice, made phone

calls, and so much more.

I would also like to extend special thanks to my close friends and family members. I am very fortunate to

have had their positive energy and unwavering support throughout my entire campaign.

And as always, to our Freer students, I have faith in each and every one of you. You have the ability to achieve

your dreams and my goal is to help you get there. Set the mark high, do your best, believe in yourself, and you

will always succeed!

Gilbert N. Saenz

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

A publication of the Jim Hogg County Enterprise

304 E. Galbraith, Hebbronville, Texas 78361Copyright 1998 by The Jim

Hogg County Enterprise. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without the express

permission of the publisher.

Entered as Second Class Matter at Hebbronville,

Texas under May 5, 1926, at the Post Office the Act of March 8, 1979, Second

Class Postage Paid at Hebbronville, Jim Hogg

County, Texas 78361.POSTMASTER: Send inquiries to Jim Hogg County

Enterprise304 E. Galbraith

P.O. Box 759Hebbronville, Texas 78361

Call (361) 460-9493 for information.

Base advertising rate is $6.00 per column inch. Volume and frequency

discounts available.Contact us by email at

[email protected] or at

[email protected]

Poncho Hernandez Jr.Juanita I. Hernandez

Publishers

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

To Advertise:

Sylvia TangumaAdvertising Representative361-389-6612

[email protected]@aol.com

ON THE COVER:

CONTENTS

All articles and photos by Poncho Hernandez Jr. unless otherwise noted.

Mauro P. Garcia Funeral Homes, Inc. owner Betty Lou Garcia, a Licensed Funeral Director, Owner and Pre-Need Counselor, is pictured with employees Maria D. Aleman, Funeral Director and Embalmer who joined the funeral home in 1989; Adan Garcia Jr., a graduate of Commonwealth College in Houston who joined Mauro P. Garcia Funeral Home in 2003; Juan G. Chapa, Maintenance and Funeral Assistant since 2001; daughter Margo Ann Garcia, charged with Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivables and Office Man-ager beginning in 2014; Martha Balboa Rodriguez, Office and Funeral Assistant, Pre-Need Insurance Counselor and Licensed Cosmetologist beginning in 2014; Francisco Rodriguez Jr., Funeral Director and Embalmer who joined Mauro P. Garcia Funeral Homes, Inc. in 2014; Jo Ann Mendoza, Accountant and Bookkeeper; and (not pictured) Servando Garcia, Funeral Assistant.

Photos by Christina Garza

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

Working in a field long dominat-ed by men, Betty Lou Garcia has seen the shift in an industry where the traditional role for women was once confined to the office. Today, she’s running her own funeral home.

She was, as some would say, destined for success. Her father and mother, William Creager and Esperanza Torres, were successful entrepreneurs, teaching Betty the skills and lessons needed to succeed in business.

Her reputation, as a successful business woman who has taken the opportunities that have come her way, stems from a belief that success is not given, but is earned with dignity, honesty, and ethics - a ‘back to the basics’ approach the women in her family have followed for five generations.

“It’s worth the time and effort and the rewards and benefits are many,” she said of the funeral business. “I guess I followed in their footsteps.”

She married into the family-owned

business in 1971 and joined the firm two years later. In 1990, she was licensed following her graduation from the Institute of Funeral Science in Houston, Texas with a 3.8 GPA, earning Honors and Distinction, and as one of the few Hispanic women inducted into the fraternity.

After the death of her husband, Mauro Jr., who passed on in 2002 at the age of 50, Betty continued her role at Mauro P. Garcia Funeral Homes Inc. in partnership with her sister-in-law and her husband.

In December of 2008, Betty accomplished yet another milestone after acquiring sole ownership of Mauro P. Garcia Funeral Homes Inc., along with ownership of San Diego Cemetery No. 2.

Through the years, her other acquisitions include the construction of a Town Square that houses several businesses, a monument company (MG Monuments), and the addition of a new

Back To BasicsWhat you can learn from a successful business woman

Continued on Page 24

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

cots, otherwise they slept on bedrolls. A room at the Edds and Acklen Lum-ber yard served as Ranger quarters in Hebbronville.

Each time Pell captured a law-breaker he took him to the courthouse in Hebbronville to the Justice of Peace. Though he spoke Spanish, an interpreter other than the person who brought in the prisoner was required. The county clerk, Helen Sewell, was fluent in Spanish, which she learned while she taught school on the outly-ing ranches prior to her county clerk job. Pell called on her to do the trans-lating. A year later the two of them were married.

In 1920, the border was not the only trouble spot in Texas. Lawlessness and corruption afflicted Galveston and led to riots when longshoremen went on strike. Pell received order to report to Galveston for duty there and to take with them their personal equipment, including winter clothing. The oral history Pell passed down about the riots was, “They were trying to union-ize the police force too. Once they put the chief of police in jail, closed the bordellos, gambling joints and speak-easies, the problem ended. The Rang-ers were in charge of the police force in Galveston until Jan. 19, 1921.

See PELL, Page 19

Texas Ranger fought criminals in tough brushlandIn 1922, Sheriff Pelton B. Harbison, in a case that involved witchcraft and insanity, found Ramona Reyna stabbed to death with a machete shaped 13 inch knife. Her two children were nearby.

Texas Ranger, Jim Hogg County Sheriff Peltson B. HarbisonBy Ida Luttrell

Mi Vida Magazine

Pell Harbison’s connection to Hebbronville came about following a tornado that struck Goliad, Texas in 1902. Pell was orphaned by the storm and his home was destroyed. The J.P. Reed family took hi in and he lived with them for a number of years.

Mr. Reed had cattle ranches in both Goliad County and Jim Hogg County. Pell went with the Reed family to their ranch near Hebbronville and worked there with the vaqueros, where he learned to speak Spanish fluently. He returned to Goliad, became a barber and had his own shop until Wold War I. He was on a train to San Antonio to be inducted into the army the day armistice was declared and the war ended.

The Reeds wanted him to come back and work on their ranch at Hebbronville. By the time the town consisted of a general store, owned by Narcisco Pena, the post office, the New York Store, a two story brick school building, churches, a bank, the Viggo Hotel and the courthouse, built in 1913, the year Jim Hogg County was established. A few other busi-nesses occupied the main part of town and a great network of shipping pens

sprawled along the railroad tracks on the east side of town. Few trees grew there and most of had been planted by homeowners. Hebbronville’s unpaved sadly roads were difficult to navigate without getting stuck, rain or shine.

Once at the ranch, Pell settled into the routine there. He was the one on call to accompany Mr. reed as he checked the fence lines and windmills. The ranch, 30 miles south of Hebbron-ville, was uncomfortably close to the Mexican border with raids by bandits on ranches still occurring. Pell was a good shot with a pistol and had an air of authority about him. He gave the impression right away that he was not someone to tangle with. The well armed raiders sometimes traveled in groups of five or more. With Pell by his side, Mr. Reed felt more secure.

Time dragged on the ranch and Pell saw no future for himself there. The Texas Rangers had a strong presence in the area and Pell became interested in joining them. On December 19, 1919, he went to Laredo and enlisted in the Rangers, Company C, under Captain W. M. Ryan. The fact he spoke Spanish was a big plus in his getting accepted.

Prohibition enveloped the nation at that time and the Rangers patrolled the border and the brush county of South

Sheriff Harbison brought the murderer (Eugenio Reyna) to Hebbronville and placed him in jail to await the action of the grand jury. He offered no resistance, admitting the killing to save himself and the family.

Texas on the lookout for bootleggers smuggling tequila from Mexico. Their main point of crossing along the souther strip of the border was below Laredo near San Ignacio in Zapata County. The path eventually led them through Jim Hogg, Brooks and Duval counties.

Pell worked along the border through the brush, with a partner or any number of men on scouting trips in pursuit of mescaleros, thieves or other bandits. They traveled by horseback, each having to furnish his own mount. When they went after lawbreakers, they brought provi-sions, a Dutch oven, hard tack, coffee, a slicker, bedroll and tarp loaded on pack horses or mules.

Some of the rangers used firearms issued by the state, such as the 32-20 unadorned black pistol built on a 45 frame that Pell carried. He also took along a rifle Mr. Reed had given him.

Pell spend many a night under the stars lulled to sleep by mockinbirds and singing coyotes. When a blue norther caught him on the trail, he slept with his head on his saddle and a tarp pulled over his head.

The state rented houses or rooms in towns such as Laredo, hebbronville, and Rio Grande City, for Ranger camps. These places were unfurnished except for a cook stove. From one to ten Rangers stayed at these camps. Some of them had

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

Rafael “Ralph” Saenz III Librada “Libby” Vela Rogelio “Roy” Guerrero

Political paid for by the candidates: Rafael Saenz III, Librada Vela, Rogelio Guerrero

We would like to thank everyone who supported us in the recent SDISD election. May God bless you and your families.

Once a Vaquero ... Always a Vaquero“Keep The Progress Going”

By Cynthia GutierrezMi Vida Magazine

After the CCSD&RG was sold to the Palmer-Sullivan Syndicate, it became incorporated as the Texas Mexican Railroad on January 30, 1881 and actual operation was taken over on February 17, 1881. The first order of business was construction and inspection of the last 40 miles of track, completed in September of 1881, to within three miles of Laredo; and the Tex-Mex received its first 400,000 acres of land. Through trains began to operate from Corpus Christi to Laredo, handling freight, passengers, and express matter. It took news four days to get from San Antonio to Laredo. The first annual report of the Tex Mex indicated that it employed 529 men and 1416 other laborers. No state land had yet been sold. At this time, the Tex Mex was operated by the Mexican

National Railroad Company of Mexico. At this time, Palmer-Sullivan announced its intentions to expand, proposing con-nections totaling more than 1,000 miles of track. However, this ambitious project was never started. In 1882, the Tex Mex reported that it operated seven locomo-tives, six passenger cars, 44 boxcars, 95 flatcars, and 18 coal cars. In 1883, as the Tex-Mex made its way to Laredo, land required for a townsite in this area was needed. Francisco P. Peña, operator of Peña Station on this route, refused to sell land to the railroad for a townsite. The company then approached J. R. Hebbron, who arranged for the sale of land for the new townsite, near Peñitas. The old train station at Peñitas was then loaded onto a flatcar, moved 1? miles west and named Hebbronville. By 1885, the San Antonio & Aransas Pass line had crossed

TEX MEX, Page 19

The CCSD&RG becomes the Tex Mex Railroad

Crestonio Station, on the Tex Mex Railway twenty miles southwest of Benavides in southern Duval County, stopped appearing on the map in the 1970s.

Courtesy Photo

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

MARGARITO GUERREROWhen the Texas A&I Javelinas were a

perennial powerhouse in football, one of the most valuable lineman was a clean-cut, well-mannered young man who, save for his reputation as a hard-hitting defensive tackle, hasn’t changed much from when he was bouncing run plays to the outside.

----

Today, Margarito Guerrero, now retired and living in Benavides, epitomizes the linebacker position that earned him first-team Little All-American honors in 1970 - the year the Javelinas won their second NAIA Division I title under coach Gil Steinke.

In his junior year, he earned most valuable line-man and was named to the second-team All-American squad.

A graduate of Miller High School in 1964, where he played his senior year for a team that advanced to the state finals, Guerrero played football at Henderson County Junior College, at Miami (Fla.) and at Wichita State, before coming to Kingsville.

Born and raised in Corpus Christi and now retired as a coach and teacher in Benavides, Guerrero ranks among the university’s “top greatest” defensive names that include first team All-Americans Johnny Barefield, Darrell Green, Larry Grunewald, Don Hardeman, Andy Hawkins, and others.

He is also one of four Hispanics to have earned All-American honors as a Javelina football player. The other three include the late Willie Crafts, Jaime Martinez (a native of Beeville and offensive line coach at Texas A&M University in Kingsville) and Roberto Garza (signed by the Atlanta Falcons and a one-time sideline reporter for Fox Deportes.

Texas A&I1969-1970

Margarito “Buffalo” Guerrero makes a tackle in a picture that appeared in the 1970 edition of‘El Rancho’

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

Back when A&I was fab

In the game of football, Margarito ‘Buffalo’ Guerrero, who gained fame as a defensive tackle with the Texas A&I Javelinas, easily

overwhelmed his opponents

He earned his nickname “Buffalo” while playing football in the streets of Corpus Christi, a nickname that stuck throughout his college career.

In 1971, Guerrero began his coaching career after being hired as an assistant coach by Benavides Coach Roland Jones. When Jones departed a year later, he stayed on as head coach.

“I remember, at the time, considering a coaching job in Robstown. But when Coach Jones decided to leave, I was offered the job, stayed on, and took over,” he said.

During his tenure, the Eagles shared District 3A Championships with Hebbronville in 1981, earned the district title in 1985 and were runners-up in 1983

with Falfurrias and with Woodsboro in 1989.In 1987, Guerrero was inducted into the Javelina

Hall of Fame for his performance on two NAIA national championship teams and two Lone Star Conference title teams.

While only on the playing field for two years, Guerrero earned most valuable player honors in the 1969 NAIA national semifinal playoff game, served as team captain in 1970, and was on the All-LSC and All-Texas College teams and All-American teams for two years. He was also member of the notorious “Bor-der Bandits,” the nickname given to the Texas A&I defensive line because of their speed and agility.

“We took a lot of pride in that nickname,” Guer-rero told David Flores, in a feature written in November of 2009.

“I give a lot of the credit to Coach Jonas. He was a

perfectionist and he knew all the aspects of the game. He was a very good teacher.,” he told Flores.

In the Fall of 1988, Guerrero ended his coaching career, but continued on as a teacher with the district. He was inducted into the Roy Miller Buccaneer Hall of Fame in 1997 and by the Coastal Bend Coaches Association in a Hall of Honor Luncheon held in Corpus Christi on the same year.

In 2004, he retired after 33 years as a coach and teacher with the Benavides Independent School District.

In August of 2008, Guerrero was inducted into the National Hispanic Heritage Hall of Honor in San Antonio, Texas.

Today, the defensive lineman who once anchored the Javelina defense spends much of his time at home with his wife and family - where his accomplishments are displayed proudly on a brightly lit hallway.

He says a poster put together by his daughter, on the occasion of his retirement is among his most treasured possessions.

“There are a lot of plaques on the wall,” he said, “but the poster put together by my daughter tells the story best.”

He met his wife, Angie Marroquin, also of Corpus Christi, while at Roy Miller High School.

The couple have two children, John David, who works for a pharmaceutical company and is married to Jackie Chapa of Kingsville, and Rosemary Guer-rero Benavides, who married Juan Benavides of Benavides, and four grandchildren, John David and Julia Guerrero and Sara and Laura Benavides.

Margarito Guerrero (bottom, left) and teammates pose for a playful photo during practice while at Henderson County Jr. College.

Margarito ‘Buffalo’ Guerrero (Row 5, second from left) is pictured with the 1970 Texas A&I football squad that included teammates (Row 1) Phelan Allee, Ronald Fielding, Roy Farmer, Alvin Matthews, James Respondek, James Friesenhahn, Thomas Domel, Gene Walkoviak, Leroy Deanda (Row 2) Ed Scott, Jimmy Srp, Larry Croft, Donald Washington, Mike William-son, Andy Browder (Row 3) Bobby Redus, Eugene Kubelka, Karl Douglas, Eldridge Small, Claude McMillon, Allen Kaiser, Glen Tegler, Floyd Goodwin, Jim Brown (Row 4) Levi Johnson, Henry Glenn, John Mallett, Curtis Neal, Larry Edwards, David Hopkins, Randy Beakly, Robert Young (Row 5) Robert Hubenak, Guerrero, Ernest Price, Charles Matula, Ronnie Wolter and (Row 6) Dwight Harrison, Neal McCarn and Laurel Whitworth.

MONUMENT MEN MI VIDA MAGAZINE

Sgt. John C. Becker, USAF San AntonioSG Bill Birkner, US Army Norton, OhioPVT Luis Caballero, US Army HarlingenSP5 Pablo S. Canales, US Army BrownsvillePVT Lazaro Cantu, US Army ConcepcionPFC Andres R. Casas, USMC BenavidesPFC Guadalupe M. Castillo, US Army BenavidesPFC Ruben Chapa, US Army BenavidesCpl. Josue E. Flores, USMC LaredoSG Julio Garcia US Army GregorySP4 Ramiro Garza Jr., US Army LaredoPVT Joel Gomez, US Army PremontSP5 Cesar A. Guerra, US Army LaredoSFC Roberto Gonzalez Sr., Army Air Corps Coyote Ranch-Brooks CountyPFC Andres Hinojosa Jr., US Army HebbronvilleAFCM Robert K. Hyndman, US Navy ShermanSP4 Octavio C. Jimenez, US Army BishopCPL Donald R. Johnson, US Army Alma, Ga.Cpl John C. Moore, USMC Houston

Memorial Wall InducteesNovember 8, 2014

Long after their service, America’s Last Patrol heroes are honored

SP4 Baldemar Morales, US Army HebbronvilleA2 Jose R. Ortiz, USAF RobstownPFC Ruben R. Reyes Jr. US Army KingsvillePFC Oscar R. Reyes, US Army KingsvillePFC Francisco Ruiz, US Army BenavidesSP4 Marcos Serna, US Army HebbronvillePO3C Jesus N. Solis, US Navy LaredoSgt. Jesus N. Solis Jr., USAF AliceSP4 David C. Tovar, US Army RobstownPFC Elias G. Utley, US Army KingsvilleSP3 James S. Utley, US Army BenavidesSFC Arnoldo M. Vera, US Army BenavidesPFC Gustavo Q Vera, US Army BenavidesPFC Pablo Q. Vera, US Army BenavidesCPO Joseph Zelum, US Navy Ansonia, CT. TEC5 Armando S. Zuniga, US Army BenavidesA2C Ramon S. Zuniga Jr., USAF BenavidesTEC4 Salvador S. Zuniga, US Army San DiegoSFC Ernesto R. Flores, US Army Retired Kingsville

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

LAST PATROL HONORS ITS VETERANSMore than 200 gather to honor America’s heroes

It was a beautiful sunny day Saturday as the Last Patrol Ranch near Benavides honored America’s veterans on the 60th anniversary of the national holiday.

Across the ranch, more than 200 people gathered to listen and join Corpus Christi’s Patriots Band and Honor Guard on a day set aside to honor service men and women who served and continue to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Guest speaker Sgt. Tim Peterson, who made the trip from Toldeo, Ohio and served in an outfit known as the “Polar Bears” while in South Vietnam, thanked those who made the trip to support the men and women who support our country.

“As a nation, we owe them a debt of grati-tude,” he said.

Peterson also spoke about his experiences during combat and the challenges veterans faced after returning home and continue to face today.

“In Vietnam, it didn’t matter how good (a soldier) you were,” he said. “If you were in the wrong place, you were dead.”

He said the unknown casualties in the war included the family members of those killed and missing in action, citing 9,500 soldiers missing in action during the Korean and Viet-nam conflicts.

The celebration began with welcome com-ments by Commander Ernan Gutierrez fol-lowed by Posting of Colors and the playing of the National Anthem by the Patriots Band.

Commander Ernan Gutierrez then intro-duced Sgt. Tim Peterson followed by an Armed Forces Salute and a Memorial Wall Ceremony by Arturo Pecos.

Gutierrez said that traditionally, the group gathers at the Last Patrol Ranch every Veter-ans Day to honor all veterans that have served

their country honorably.

“We sa-l u t e a n d t h a n k a l l w h o h a v e served our country with their mili-tary service and remem-ber those that made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom,” he stated.

This year, the Memorial Wall Ceremony honored 38 service men whose names were placed on the Memorial Wall, joining hundreds of others.

The event concluded with a Benediction by Chaplain Sammy Espinosa, a 21 gun salute/taps by the Patriots Band and Honor Guard, and closing comments by Commander Ernan Gutierrez.

A monument at the America’s Last Patrol Ranch honors Cpl. Domingo “La Luna” Ramirez, USMC, Korea, at the ranch two 1/2 miles northeast of Benavides, Texas.

Veterans and family members listen attentively to Sgt. Tim Peterson, of Toledo, Ohio, during the guest speaker’s address at the America’s Last Patrol Ranch Saturday.

Sgt. Tim Peterson of Toledo, Ohio, delivers his guest address at the Americ’s Lst Patrol, Inc. Veterans Day Celebration.

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

The late Samuel Garcia (center, standing) is pictured with members of the Benavides High School band in a photo taken at the basketball gym in 1936. Following his graduation, Garcia went on to teach with the Benavides Independent School District and was among numerous teachers honored during the City of Benavides Ano Centenario Celebration in 1980.

Welcome to our fourth edition of Mi Vida Magazine. With more than 2,000 copies in circulation and growing, we’ve crafted our magazine to provide South Texans with a diversity of topics

featuring local events and history while showcasing high-profile individuals and businesses. We hope you enjoy our stories and encourage you to pick up our magazine at selected newsstands.

The Editors

Archive Photo

Christmas Tree ForestAt The Old Jail MuseumThe Museum Foundation of Hebbronville

and The Jim Hogg County Historical Commis-sion are hosting a Christmas Tree Exhibit at the Old Jail Museum on December 13th through 16th and December 20th and 21st. We in-vite our local businesses, organizations, and school groups to participate and celebrate our heritage, history, and culture during this festive time of year. Applications can be picked up at The First National Bank starting on Thursday, Nov. 13th and turned in by November 21st. Come help us celebrate the holiday season at our wonderful Old Jail Museum!

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

STATEPOINT

CROSSWORD

ACROSS1. Bullying, e.g.6. Brown of “Back to the Future”9. Choir member13. Brick worker14. Bruin legend Bobby ___15. Show contempt16. At right angle to a ship17. Actress ___ Michele of “Glee”18. These lips sink ships19. *Reason to celebrate Thanks-giving21. *Pilgrim helper23. “C’___ la vie!”24. Chopped fish bait25. “Casablanca” pianist28. Maui dance30. Horrify35. All over again37. Oily freshwater fish, native to Asia and Europe39. Red Sea peninsula40. Beehive State41. Aussie “bear”43. *Baste the turkey or set the table, e.g.44. *Cornucopia’s shape46. Ill-gotten gains47. Yemeni port48. Frame or trap50. *Marshmallows are placed ____ the sweet potatoes52. European Nuclear Society53. Very curious55. To nail, as in criminal57. *Distinctly orange fruit61. Product-selling scheme65. Sleeping noise66. “___ to Joy”68. Rome’s Colosseum69. Step70. Galley tool71. Vertebrae cushions72. Secret association of Chinese73. Flammable toxic derivative of toluene74. Electronic moneyDOWN1. Wet nurse2. “Ali ____ and the 40 Thieves”

3. ____-friendly4. Dry white Italian wine5. Catch in a net6. Airhead7. Bonanza find8. “_____ into Me” by Dave Mat-thews Band9. Dwarf buffalo10. *____ Lett’s famous Thanks-giving football blunder11. Reason to cram12. Three-layer cookie15. Sinks into a couch, e.g.20. Between rock and a hard place?22. In so far as, conjunction24. Popular rye bread addition25. *Cranberry _____

26. Playwright Chekhov27. Had in mind29. Cambodia’s neighbor31. Falafel bread32. Battery terminal33. Burdened34. *NFL hosts36. Helicopter sound38. Surveyor’s map42. Extreme suffering45. Mouth sore49. Hawaiian dish51. *Macy’s tradition54. Arrogant person56. Relating to barium57. “Hey ... over here!”58. “Do ____ others as...”59. Express complaint

60. Synonym to #54 Down61. Chipper62. Phoenix neighbor63. Cyan and magenta in printer, e.g.64. 100-meter race67. “Da Vinci Code” by ___

(StatePoint) Cuando se trata de llenar su casa con el estilo del otoño y un cálido júbilo navideño, no tiene que depender de decoración genérica com-prada en la tienda, que puede ser cara y olvidable. Esta temporada de fiestas haga único su hogar con un poco de hágalo usted mismo.

“Le sorprenderá cómo unas herramientas sencil-las, como una cinta de pintor buena y de calidad, pueden marcar toda la diferencia en proyectos de hágalo usted mismo”, dice Carmen De La Paz, ex presentadora de “Hammer Heads” de HGTV y portavoz de 3M.

Cuando se trata de decoración, es importante que sus ideas sean frescas, únicas y diferentes. Para ayudarle a comenzar, De La Paz está ofreciendo algunas inspiraciones artesanales cuya creación cuesta menos de $100.

• Engalane su hogar para la temporada. Pinte una pared de acento. Le hará sentir como si hubiera hecho un gran cambio.

• Sea el mejor anfitrión de las fiestas. Utilice materiales reciclados para crear cordiales regalos de despedida caseros.

• Use cinta de pintor para crear una carpeta de mesa puede ser una forma sencilla de saltarse el trabajo sucio a mano libre, lo que permite crear un patrón repetitivo con más precisión y menos estrés.

• Sea dramático y teatral con sus adornos de mesa. Piense en un tema y ajústese a él. El uso de un elemento en diferentes tamaños y colores hará una afirmación fuerte.

• La decoración estacional comprada en las tiendas puede ser costosa. Haga la suya propia por una fracción de ese costo. Usando la nueva cinta de pintor ScotchBlue con Advanced Edge-Lock Paint Line Protector, puede obtener líneas de pintura súper nítidas y una eliminación limpia para su siguiente proyecto de pintura.

Decore su hogar esta temporada por menos de $100

En Espanol

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

Vaquero Festival draws thousands to Hebbronville

Music explosion awes crowd(Top left to bottom): Hebbronville’s Edwardo Reyes, win-ner of the 2012 Vaquero Festival Pan de Campo Contest, kneads pan de campo dough at the Vaquero Festival fairgrounds in preparation of the annual Pan de Campo contest. Reyes was one of 15 to enter the contest. Also pictured is Genaro Reyes. (Bot-tom, right): A typical concession operated by Los Rodriguez promotes antiques and antique photos at the annual fiesta.

(Music photos by Christina Garza)

Intocable’s Ricky Munoz Country Singer John Wolfe

Thousands of festival-goers viewed exhibits, sampled food, and listened to music during the 14th annual Vaquero Festival held Friday, Oct. 31, 2014 and Nov. 1, 2014 .

Held at Pena Ranchito outside of Hebbronville, the event varied little from the original festival held in 2005, when the festival was capped with a cowboy breakfast, parade,

entertainment, exhibits, food and music,

The original event also hosted a street dance in front of the historic Viggo Hotel on South Smith Street, according to an article by former En-terprise writer and columnist Brenda Haner.

On Saturday, the event drew a sizeable crowd as spectators lined

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

(Left): Maria Antonia Rios, of San Diego, prepares corn tortillas from scratch at a vendor’s stand operated by Pablo Ruiz (center) of Agape Tacos & Gorditas. (Right): Ranch Rodeo contestants Rene Vaquez, the son of Patsy and Rene Vasquez, and Sammy Cadena, the son of Benny and Lizzie Cadena, of Hebbronville, are pictured at one of the more than 50 concessions at the annual festival.

Pikabeanz, 1st place Team pan de campo cook off.

Vaqueros at Opening Ceremonies.

the road for the annual Vaquero Festival Parade. The parade culminated at the fiesta grounds where people gathered to sample South Texas cuisine and to visit exhibit and vendor stands.

But the big attraction during the two-day event was Saturday night, when Into-cable, one of the most influential groups in the Tejano/Norteno music scene today, and Hebbronville’s Palacios Bros., took to the stage.

Intocable’s success began 18 years ago in nearby Zapata, Texas when friends Ricky Munoz and Rene Martinez decided to bring their music to the world.

The Palacios Bros., whose regular appearances at statewide events, competi-tions, and local restaurants are common-place, are bringing regional recognition to the group.

Also performing were the Dirt Road Drifters and Zamorales on Friday with Jon Wolfe and Intocable performing Saturday evening.

Aside from the music, the event also featured a wine tasting and silent/live auc-tion, haunted house, and a bean cook-off and beef rib cook-off contests. The annual Vaquero Festival is traditionally held on the first weekend of November.

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FIND THE HIDDEN WORDS

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Legends of the Wild West

By Marcie GossMi Vida Magazine

Cynthia Ann Parker, her capture and her life with the Comanches have been the subject of many novels and movies through the years. The movie probably best known to people that is loosely based on her life is “The Searchers,” starring John Wayne. The movie was made in 1956 and was based on the novel “The Searchers,” by Alan LaMay. A novel about her capture and life with the Comanches written by author Lucia St. Claire Robson is a fairly well-known story, which is fact mixed with fiction.

In the movies, the story of Cynthia Ann Parker has a happy ending. In “The Searchers,” we see handsome, rugged John Wayne, in his character as the hater of all Indians, Ethan Edwards, lifting a young, buckskin-clad Natalie Wood off of his horse and presenting her to Mrs. Jorgenson, the closest thing to a living relative the Indian-captive-

returned-home-girl has. Mrs. Jorgen-son embraces her tightly, then leads her inside the house. The music swells, and the movie ends. The poor child is home. All is right with the world. But the real story of Cynthia Ann Parker had a very different ending, marked with intense sadness, loss, violence, and finally death.

It is not known for sure when Cynthia Ann Parker was born. But because history does record her age to be 9 when her family moved from Crawford County, Illinois, to the frontier in present-day North Central Texas, which was in 1836, it is usu-ally assumed that she was born in 1827. Her grandfather, John Parker, moved the family to Texas and built Fort Parker, located in present-day Limestone County, at the headwaters of the Navasota River.

On the morning of May 19, 1836, a band of Comanches, along with some Kiowas and Kichas, attacked Ft. Park-er. The settlers were completely taken by surprise, and the slaughter was deci-sive and quick. Cynthia Ann and other children taken watched as the women were dragged from the cabins and vio-lated, butchered and scalped. Cynthia Ann and her father were spared, along with other children, and were taken captive. A posse set out after them, and met up with one young teenage girl who had managed to escape. Through the following years, some of the cap-tives were ransomed and released by the Comanches. But Cynthia Ann remained with them, and was eventu-ally adopted into a Comanche family, where she was loved and raised as one of their own children. She married a Comanche chieftan, Peta Nocona, and bore him three children. Because of his status as a chief, Nocona had the right to take other wives. But out of respect

and devotion to Cynthia, he never did. Their marriage is recorded to have been a happy one. Their children were Quanah, a son, who was one of the last leaders of any free Comanches still living in Texas at the turn of the 20th century, another son, Pecos, who is be-lieved to have died of smallpox around 1862, and a daughter, Topsannah, who died of influenza shortly after Cynthia Ann was returned to her American family in 1861.

Through her years with the Co-manche, her family never stopped looking for her; never gave up hope that someday, someway, somehow, she would be found alive. The Texas Rangers were sent out on many, many expeditions at the behest of the Parker family through the years, as well as at the request of family members of other captured children.

In December of 1860 the search for

her continued at the behest of her fa-ther. Texas Rangers deep in Comanche territory led by Sul Ross discovered a band of Comanches rumored to have white captives. Ross and the Rangers attacked the Indian camp in a surprise raid known as the Battle of Peace River, which is in present-day Foard County, about 90 miles west of Wichita Falls. The battle was a short one, and the Comanche warriors began to run away. One was the chief, identified to be Peta Nocona by Ross’s cook, Anto-nio Martinez, whose family had been massacred by Nocona and his men the year before. While trying to escape Nocona was wounded and fell off his horse. Ross allowed Martinez to “fin-ish him off” for revenge for his family. While fleeing, a woman was with him, who was also apprehended by the

The story of Cynthia Ann Parker

Cynthia’s son, last chief of the Comanches, Quanah Parker, might be in the dark suit and hat on the left side of the picture. Also pictured is Theodore Roosevelt, in the right of the photo.

Cynthia Ann Parker and daughter

See PARKER, Page 21

Mi Vida Magazine 2-Minute Read

with two national championships as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), it’s no wonder Texas A&I quickly set itself up as a football powerhouse in the 70s.

Under Coach Gil Steinke, the Javelinas won five NAIA national champonships, going undefeated from the last game of 1973 through the third game of 1977.

The school’s success continued even after the university changed its name for a third time to Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

In 1994, the Javalina football team played in the 1994 NCAA Division II National Football Cham-pionship, only to lose to the University of North Alabama by a score of 16–10.

To date, more than 150 athletes from Javelina football teams have gone on to play professional football, with more than 50 drafted in the NFL Draft – more than any other school in either the NAIA or NCAA Division II.

In their early career, the Javalinas were matched up against the University of Hawaii (a game Texas A&I won), and earlier, against the University of Texas, in a game held at Texas Memorial Stadium on September 28, 1935. The price of admission was one dollar.

The 1936 edition of Corral (UT’s version of El Rancho) describes the game as follows:

“Beginning the season against the stout A&I Javelinas at Memorial Stadium, the Longhorns blasted over six touchdowns to win, 38-6. It was a typical “warm-up” contest.”

A football factory

Once described as the ”toughest little team in the nation,” the storied success of the Javelinas led writers and recruiters to dub the

school a “football factory.”

Gil Steinke

Whatever happened to Encinal County?

The Road to RandadoBy Ida Harbison Luttrell

Readers who enjoyed our feature story on Pell Harbison can read more about the colorful Texas Ranger and Sheriff in a book written by Ida Harbison Luttrell.

Harbison served as a Texas Ranger and was sheriff of Jim Hogg County for more than seven years. The Harbison family were early residents of South Texas, settling on a ranch located in Jim Hogg County.

The 250 page book, published by Panther Creek Press in May of 2004, tells of Harbisons uncommon life, along with the story of his pioneer ancestors from Samuel Harbison’s arrival in America in 1789 to Pell Harbison’s death in 1956.

The book’s author, Ida Harbison Luttrell, grew up on a small ranch in South Texas. She received a BA from The University of Texas and is the author of several children’s books, including Milo’s Tooth-ache, Tillie and Mert, and Three Good Blankets, as well as essays and nonfiction material for adults.

Her children’s books have been selected by book clubs, translated into several languages, named to ABA’s Pick of the List, Bank Street College’s Children’s Books of the Year, Library of Congress Best Books of 1993, and adapted for the stage by a national children’s theater company.

Not all Texas counties had the good fortune of being formally organized.

Take Encinal County, for example. The county was established on February 1, 1856 and was to consist of the eastern portion of what is now Webb County, with the town of Encinal to be declared the county seat.

But the county was never formally organized and in March of 1899, was absorbed by Webb County.

Had it been organized, the county would have bordered Duval County , La Salle County, Zapata County and Starr County.

Today, the only remnant of the once to be county is on a road sign pointing the way to the city of Encinal in La Salle County, Texas. In 2010, the population of Encinal was listed at 559. The town was named by Railroad officials for the Spanish word for oak grove. The population peaked in 1937 at about 800 residents.

In 1835, Texas was divided into departments and municipalities. Three departments were estab-lished—Bexar, Brazos and Nacogdoches—along with 23 municipalities. Under the new Republic in 1836, the 23 municipalities became counties. When Texas became a state in 1845, there were 36 counties.

When Texas entered the Confederacy in 1861 and adopted a new state constitution, there were 122 counties.

Ten years after Reconstruction from the Civil War, the Constitution of 1876 was adopted. It is the present state constitution and contains much detail concerning the governmental organization of the county.

The number of counties increased steadily until there were 254 counties in 1931.

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

Pell resigned from the Texas Rangers and moved from the Ranger quarters to the sheriff’s apartment on the first floor of the jail. Prisoners were held upstairs. He took his job seriously and was determined to keep law and order in Hebbronville. Pell patrolled the streets at night and set a curfew for young people.

He met the train every day and perhaps, follow-ing Ranger Brooks example in Galveston, allowed no vagrants off the train in Hebbronville. Nor were drug addicts or ladies of the night welcome their either. They too were sent on their way.

Pell seldom wore a gun, yet Jim Hogg County soon got the reputation of being a poor destination for criminals. Though he was tough, even the young-sters he kept off the streets got along well with him, called him Mr. Pell, and respected the curfew. Pell was often called out in the evening to make arrests or hold inquests following gunfights.

In 1922, he handled a strange case that involved “witchcraft and insanity.” He received a telephone call on morning that a family in Cuevitas, forty miles south of Hebbronville, had gone crazy. Pell rushed to the crime scene in his car. When he arrived he found a woman, Ramona Reyna, stabbed to death with a machete-shaped, thirteen inch knife. Her two terri-fied children were nearby, their hands still bleeding from cuts they received when they tried to rescue their mother. Pell immediately set out in pursuit of the murderer who had headed for the border on horseback. By midnight Pell was closing in on him. He learned from an informer in the area that the man had not crossed the border, but could be found hid-ing in the brush, waiting to meet his father-in-law in the morning.

With the constable and the informant, Pell went ten miles down the river from Roma where they found the wanted man. As reported in The Heb-bronville Enterprise:

“He offered no resistance, being badly used up from his long horseback ride of nearly seventy miles. According to Sheriff Harbison, he admitted the kill-ing but said he had to do it to save himself and his family from the woman. Sheriff Harbison brought the murderer, (Eugenio Reyna) to Hebbronville and placed him in jail to await the action of the grand jury. Sheriff Harbison said Reyna showed no signs of insanity in the way he prepared to get away as soon as the murder was committed, and didn’t act like a crazy man after being arrested.”

The newspaper article unravels the strange story of Jesus Reyna, his wife, Ramona, and children, who lived on a small farm adjoining one where his brother, Eugenio and two sisters lived. His brother

and sisters spent much time at the Reyna’s house eating lots of their meals there, but none of them were friendly with Ramona Reyna. About ten days prior to the murder the Reyna family began to act crazy. They told neighbors who noticed their strange actions that Ramona had put dope in their food. So they all se tout in a car to see a curandero in Mexico for a cure. It was claimed the curandero said they would never get well until the wife of Jesus Reyna was “disposed off and Eugenio Reyna felt that it devolved upon him to do the work.” The neighbors reported that as soon as they heard of the woman’s death the Raynas had their sanity returned. The paper praised Pell’s work.

The South Texas area near Hebbronville and beyond continued to be plagued by mescaleros and other criminals often with shootouts involved. The violence of that time and place was sue to claim someone close to Pell and Helen who were married then.

Greg Gibson, an area rancher, came to Hebbron-ville for supplies. Though much younger than Helen, she had known him when she attended high school in Alice, Texas and Pell considered him a good friend. Greg was nice looking and personable. There was a dance in town that night and someone invited him, but he had arrived in town wearing his jeans. So Pell loaned him his black serge wedding suit, a perfect fit for Greg since was taller and slender too. That was the last time they would see him alive.

Only later did they learn that Greg had met some mescaleros crossing his ranch. They shot him and took his horse. As soon as word of his death reached Hebbronville, pell and the Rangers went looking for the killers. Greg’s horse had a notch in one of its shoes, which made tracking it a little easier. The trail led to the brush, then to the river where the bandits had crossed over and escaped. Greg was well-liked and all of South Texas mourned him . Determined to catch his killers, the officers set a trap for them. The mescaleros received a message that some of the bootleg dealers wanted them to bring their liquor to a place near San Diego and build a fire so they would know where to meet. They fell for the ruse and were captured.

Pell continued serving as Sheriff of Jim Hogg County until his children wee born. He began to wor-ry about repercussions against his family be people he had sent to prison who would eventually be set free. He and Helen had purchased land seven miles south of Hebbronville and were building a home on it. In 1928, he resigned his position as sheriff and the family moved to their home on Randado Road.

PELL - From Page 6the Tex Mex at Alice, Texas but it was a standard gauge line. So cattle pens, transfer tracks, and platforms had to be built there. This forced Tex Mex crews to double as cattle hands to load and unload livestock because all animals and freight had to move from the narrow gauge cars to the standard cars. New offices and repair facilities were con-structed in Laredo in 1890, creating the largest engine facilities west of the Mississippi River and were able to 40 engines at a time. The Mexican Revolution of this period did not interrupt train movement, however, the new government con-fiscated and nationalized all railroads in Mexico and the Tex Mex was taken over by the National Railroad Company of Mexico (N de M), and sold $80,000,000. in bonds to finance future con-struction. The N de M then began preparations to convert the line to a standard gauge, 4’8.5”. During this extensive renovation, workmen and their families lived in section cars at the Laredo company shop and as the work continued, work-ers used the caboose to haul ties. They also took advantage of the plentiful game, bringing down quail, deer, and the occasional javelina. From 1875 on, all Tex Mex engines were wood burning engines fueled by mesquite, until 1906 when they began using coal. Extra tankers carried water for the engines. The water was supplied from tanks located along the route. These tanks also supplied water for the stock pens located at these stations. Due to inadequate water supply and poor repair facilities, the cost of repair was very high and by 1914, N de M defaulted on its bond issue. The Tex Mex was placed in receivership and all N de M equipment operating in Texas was seized for assets. Over the following years, however, the Mexican government paid off the debt and got Tex Mex out of receivership. By 1920, all new engines were equipped to use fuel oil. At one time, four round trip passenger trains ran daily between Robstown and Corpus Christi. By 1982, the Mexican government owned 96% inter-est in the company and auctioned it to Transporta-tion Maritima Mexicana (TMM) for $31,000,000. and Mexrail took over the operations. In 1994, Kansas City Southern purchased a 49% interest in the Tex Mex. By 1997, the Tex Mex was running 12 trains a day, with an average of 75-110 cars each and results of the NAFTA agreement after 1994 dramatically boosted operations. Today the Tex Mex has a number of customers that they have served for over 100 years.

TEX MEX - From Page 7

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

256-4141

Window Tinting - 5 Year WarrantyMobile Audio/VideoTruck Accessories

1485 E. Main St.Alice, Texas 78332 361-661-0190

Juan Munoz Jr.

Members of the American Legion Post 357 participated in placing flags at veterans graves at all three Hebbronville cem-eteries in observance of Veterans Day. Participating in placing the flags were Gilberto Garcia, Goyo Ruiz, Rey Benavides, Noel Guerra, Gilberto Ybanez, Onofre Solis and Oscar Salinas. Also participating in the placing of flags (not pictured) was Mrs. Castle. Bruni Lions Club members Jerry Benavides, Oscar Reyes, Brooke Johnson, Buddy Moglia, Mark Moglia, Anna Reyes and Osbelia Reyes also placed flags to honor fallen veterans from Bruni and Mirando at the Mirando City Cemetery. Flags in the Guerra Com-munity Cemetery were placed by Mr. Roel Garza, a member of Post 357.

Honoring Our Veterans

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

by the Rangers, and was discovered to have blue eyes. The Rangers were very excited to see this, believing they had finally found Cynthia Ann Parker.

But the young woman could not speak English, and so the Rangers were not sure who they had found. Despite pleas from his men to let her return to the Comanches, Ross took her with them. He argued that returning this long-lost captive to her American fam-ily would be a great boost of morale to other families whose children had been captured by Indians through the years. It was also suspected that Ross wanted the recognition he was sure would come his way for find-ing the girl, and for being “the hero” of the Battle of Pease River, which he greatly embellished in his reports, where he claimed there to have been dozens of warriors, when actually most of the warriors were away at the time of the attack, and most of the Indians killed in the battle were women and children. He summoned Cynthia Ann’s uncle, Isaac Parker, to come and see if he recognized the young blue-eyed woman to be his niece. When Cynthia Ann heard Capt. Ross greet her uncle as Isaac Parker, she slapped her chest and exclaimed, “Me Cincee Ann!” Isaac Parker took her to his home near Birdville, Texas.

Cynthia Ann’s return to her American family did indeed cativate the coun-try’s imagination. She was the granddaughter of a famous American patriot, a Maryland man who had died a violent death in Texas. This gained Cynthia Ann special attention. In 1861 she was granted a league (about 4,400 acres) of land and an annual pension of $100 by the Texas Legislature. Her uncles were named as her guardians.

The time she spent with her American family was sad and short. She never knew what had happened to her sons, Quanah and Pecos. For all she knew they were dead. She only had her baby daughter, Topsannah, with her. She was so grieved by separation from her Comanche family and familiar way of life, that she never was able to embrace the American life that she had been taken from as a small child. There is a photograph of her during this time, showing her daughter nursing at her breast, and with her hair cut short. It is not known if she voluntarily cut off the long braids she would have had, which in the Comanche culture was a display of mourning and grief, or if her American family had cut them off.

In 1864 her daughter died of influenza, which even deepened the sadness and isolation Cynthia Ann already felt. She refused to take food or drink water, and died of grief in March of 1871 at the home of Orlena O’Quinn, a relative, and was buried in Anderson County near Poynor, Texas.

There is also confusion about the year of her death. The only record of her death is found in the unpublished Susan Parker St. John “Notebook” at the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History.

In 1910 her son Quanah Parker had her remains moved to Post Oak Mis-sion Cemetery near Cache, Oklahoma. He was buried next to her at the time of his death in February, 1911. Both of their bodies were moved to the Fort Sill Post Cemetery at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, in 1957.

PARKER - From Page 17

Quanah Parker

BARRIENTOS TIRES & WHEELS

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Sales: Sara Barrientos

Call and ask about our end of the year wheel specials

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

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On behalf of Mr. & Mrs. Rene Perez Jr. and Noela Perez & family, we

would like to congratulate our 2014 San Diego Vaqueros on winning

the District Championship this season. Great accomplishment by the

team and all coaching staff. Thanks also to all the parents and proud

supporters of our community! Best of luck in the playoffs to you all.

Not pictured: Bryan Lazo #6, Robert Gallegos #11, Matt Olivarri #25, Jose Moreno #56, Michael Crump #68, Noe Morin #76, Marcus Alaniz #77, and Matt Perez #88.

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

From Page 5

Subway franchise, which she brought to San Diego.

But her biggest love, she says, is working at the funeral home.

“Our reputation in the funeral industry speaks for itself,” she said proudly. “For more than 50 years, the communities have entrusted us with their loved ones and continue repeating family business with our funeral homes, even after the death of our pioneer founders,” she added.

She says a lifetime of hard work and long hours have strengthened her determination and patience to succeed.

“The opportunity is there,” she explained, “You just have to want it enough to take it.” Her greatest hope is that her daughters, who inherited their business sense from their parents, take the trades and secrets passed on through the generations to build their own successful family orient-ed businesses. To her credit, Betty’s daughters chose different careers and her son, attended college and is a certified welder.

“I have always encouraged my family to go ahead and try to succeed at everything they do,” she exclaimed. According to Betty, the funeral home business in the Garcia family dates to the early 1960s when Mauro P. Garcia, after working at Walker-Mora Funeral

Home in Alice, joined Mike Rios in establishing Garcia-Rios Mortuary. The business lasted only four years and was dissolved in 1964.

In that same year, Mauro P. Gar-cia Funeral Home of San Diego was established, with Garcia and wife, Ines R. Garcia, as owners.

In 1971, the San Diego couple were joined by their son, Mauro P. Garcia Jr. and his wife, Betty Lou.

In 1989, success in the family business was strengthened with the addition of Mauro P. Garcia Funeral Home of Alice, and in the early 90s, the Mauro P. Garcia Chapel in Benavides.

Since then, the company has continued to experience growth, while her job title as owner has helped her realize the moreimportant things in life.

“I’ve had the good fortune of being close to my children, grand-children, and family,” she said. “It’s true that all too often our work takes up all of our time and ener-gy, but it’s also important that we remember our civic responsibili-ties.” While Betty has taken the lessons learned from her family to heart, she has never forgotten the families that have entrusted her with their loved ones. Her job, she concludes, is to continue the successful tradition of service that has, through the years, earned the business its reputation.

Mauro P. Garcia Funeral Home, San Diego

Mauro P. Garcia Funeral Home, Alice

Benavides Chapel

Mi vida issue 4

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