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Submitted: 10/21/23 • Approved: 10/21/23 • Last Updated: 10/24/23 • R586118-G255420-S3
Jose Dolores Mendoza
May 31, 1935 - August 9, 2009
Hilaria Ortega Mendoza
October 21, 1935-September 24, 2023
Married January 17, 1959
*Obituary Hilaria Ortega Mendoza
Funeral Mass for Hilaria Mendoza, age 87 of Seminole, Texas, will be celebrated at St. James Catholic Church on Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. with Father Joseph Ogbonna officiating. Burial will follow at Gaines County Cemetery. All services are under the direction of Boyer Funeral Home.
Mrs. Mendoza was born in Santa Maria del Oro, Mexico to Guadalupe (Ojeda) and Rafael Ortega on October 21, 1935. She was a member of St. James Catholic Church and had worked for 42 years at Kirby West in Andrews, Texas, but was always a homemaker. She had also worked for Prophecy, a clothing factory in Seminole, for about 10 years. She married Joe Mendoza, Sr. on January 17, 1959 in Juarez, Mexico. She had been a resident of Seminole since 1974, after she and her husband moved from Seagraves.
Hilaria's world revolved around her family – her kids, grandkids, and extended family. She was the best cook; no matter what she fixed, it was always delicious. No one who visited her home ever went hungry. She cooked for family as well as friends of the family, and if you ever were invited to eat, you begged to come back! She also loved sports and supported kids and grandkids; no matter what they played, she was their biggest fan. She loved animals and would feed every stray, she just didn't want them in the house. Hilaria worked with her best friend, Matilda De Leon, and they were known as the "cool kids," carpooling to work in Andrews. Their supervisor knew he could always count on them to show up, no matter what the weather or circumstances – they never missed a day of work. She was fearless, feisty, and headstrong; she didn't like complaining and never complained herself. Her children said she and their father were terrific examples to them of family, work ethic, and steadfast love, regardless of money.
Hilaria Mendoza passed away peacefully at her home on Sunday, September 24, 2023, surrounded by her family. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Joe Mendoza, Sr. in 2009; two brothers, two sisters, and one grandson. She is survived by one son, Joe Mendoza, Jr. (fiancé Tracy) of Seminole; four daughters, Pat Ramirez (husband Hector) of Hobbs, New Mexico, Lorena Villalva (husband Danny) of Mesquite, Texas, Mary Lou (Lulu) Salazar (husband Ernie) of Seminole, and Rocio Mendoza of El Paso; two brothers, Carmelo Ortega of Mexico and Margarito Ortega of El Paso; one sister, Alicia Herrera of Juarez; 12 grandchildren, 14, great-grandchildren, and three great-furbabies.
Source: Boyer Funeral Home
Contributed on 10/21/23 by neldapat
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Record #: 586118