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Irma C. Leal passed away on September 6 at the age of 95. Irma was born July 4, 1928, to Tomás Castillo and Josefina González Castillo in Weslaco, Texas. She is preceded in death by her husband of 69 years, Ernesto Sr, and sons Ernesto Jr (Linda) and Richard, who died as an infant, and her brother José Ramón Castillo. Irma is survived by her children: Cynthia (David) Massey: Johnnie (Laura) Leal; Denise (David) Holgado; and Ricky (Diana) Leal; nine grandchildren: Ernesto Leal III, Leah (Jim) Lanman, Michael (Guinevere) Massey, Meghan Massey, Marissa Leal, Zachary (Erica) Leal, Abigail Leal, Samuel and Angel Grace Holgado; and six great-grandchildren: Nick, Ross, Ella, and Emily Lanman, and Declan and Aurora Leal; and sisters Mirtala Villarreal, Agueda Serrano, Josefina “Queenie” Rios, and Mireya Vera. Irma attended Edcouch-Elsa High School in the Rio Grande Valley and Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, before her marriage to Ernesto T. Leal of Weslaco, Texas, on April 24, 1949. An Air Force wife, she resided in Yokohama and Yokota, Japan; Topeka and Pratt, Kansas; Burns Flat, Oklahoma; and San Antonio, Texas, where she and her family settled in 1955. A longtime member of St. Lawrence Catholic Church and a devout Christian, she worked alongside her husband, who became a deacon in 1999. A devoted mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, she always put her children before herself and was wholeheartedly supportive, stressing faith in God and the pursuit of a good education. The family would like to acknowledge with gratitude Irma’s many caregivers, especially Mary Ann Serna and Mia Fuentes, along with the many other caregivers from Vitas Hospice and Cornerstone Caregiving—too many to name individually, but to whom we are truly grateful—neighbors, friends, and extended family, especially Irma’s sisters Mireya and Queenie, and her neighbor and good friend Mary Lou Villanueva, whom she loved like a daughter. Visitation will be held at 9:30 am before an 11:00 am Funeral Mass on Wednesday, September 13, at St. Lawrence Catholic Church, 236 E. Petaluma Blvd, San Antonio. Interment to follow at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.

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Irma C. Leal

July 4, 1928 - September 6, 2023