Tributes

Minerva Guillen Lopez, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister and friend Was the oldest of 6 siblings. She grew up close to the downtown area where she attended Lanier High School. In high school she participated in band, where she played the snare drum. She was good at math and her cursive penmanship was exquisite. She met my dad when she was 17 and shortly after got married. They started a family early on. She had 5 children by age 30 and the youngest treasure arrived when she was forty-one. Minerva had many talents besides being a parent. She was a seamstress for many years. She worked at Levi Straus and then at Sterling Silver making shirts. Her sewing talent extended from sewing heavy denim to silk wedding dresses. Plus, she made clothes for her children and often had them all dressed alike. She also knitted doll dresses outfits for her puppies and a few blankets. She kept her family fed with amazing homemade food. At one time she said that she wanted to open up a restaurant. It kind of happened on a small scale. She would wake up early every morning to make tacos to sell. She made lots of tacos!!! She sold to the cafeteria workers, construction sites and anyone that wanted those delicious tacos. So yes, she had succeeded with her business goal. Not only was her cooking amazing, but the skill at making cakes was phenomenal. She made wedding cakes, birthday cakes and cupcakes. They were beautiful and she always had lots of customers with special requests and never disappointed. She had cake pans in every possible shape. To add to those skills was painting. My mother was a very artsy when artsy wasn’t popular. She could freehand paint on walls. She decorated the kitchen with hand painted grapes and vines. She had many talents, and all of those talents were shared with the ones she loved, whether it was cooking, sewing, painting, or making cakes. I’m sure there were other talents I can’t think of for now. She loved to travel and would any time she had the opportunity to. She had many friends throughout her life but the most remembered were the “Golden Girls”. She loved spending time with them, from doing line dance at the community center to taking cruise ship trips. She was full of life, she loved music, mariachi’s and celebrated Fiesta as part of her birthday since it was the same week. As recalled, Minerva joined the Christian community in the late 70 and gave her life to our Lord Jesus Christ and became members the Church of Christ on Calles. Ever since then she has attended Christian/Pentecostal church closer to her home. She loved her husband of 70 years of marriage with all her heart. She loved all her children, great-grandchildren and even great great grandchildren. On the last days of life, Minerva struggled but her strong will helped her verbalize the love for all her children and grandchildren and blessed them all. She will always be remembered and greatly missed by her family and all those that loved her.

Tributes

Minerva Guillen Lopez

April 24, 1938 - April 22, 2024