Obituary of Andrea Rodriguez

Our Beloved Andrea Morales Rodriguez, 100 years of age, was called by Our Heavenly Father on Friday, March 17th, 2023, and passed away peacefully with family by her side. Señora Rodriguez was a dedicated mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great-grandmother who always put her family first. She was a devout Catholic woman, a prayer warrior who was loyally devoted to Our Lady of Guadalupe and especially focused on Christ's limitless mercy and love for humanity through her devotion to Divine Mercy. She attended mass regularly throughout her life and was known for her unwavering faith and her commitment to her family.

Sra. Rodriguez was born in Buda, Texas on November 30, 1922, to her parents Antonio and Sixta (Lara) Morales and grew up in a large family with several siblings. She was number 5 out of 7 children, all of which were daughters. She was brought up working in the fields with her parents and sisters picking cotton and peaches to help the family survive the hardships of growing up and living through the Great Depression.

In 1947, Sra. Rodriguez became the honoured wife of a US Army Veteran when she married her loving husband Celestino Rodriguez after he returned home from serving during WW2. Together they raised three children and demonstrated to them to always put God and family first. As a mother and grandmother, Sra. Rodriguez was the heart and soul of her family. She instilled in her children and grandchildren the importance of hard work, love, laughter, faith, forgiveness, and compassion. She was always there for them, providing a listening ear, powerful prayers, Mexican soul food, and a warm embrace.

As an organizer, motivator and leader, Sra. Rodriguez became known as a faithful member of the Catholic community as an active parishioner of San Francisco Javier Catholic Church for several decades. She served two terms as the President of the parish’s Sociedades Guadalupanas, a religious association organized by Mexican American Catholic women to provide leadership in social concerns and to perform works of charity. Additionally, she and her husband belonged to the Diocesan Rosary Crusade and prayed the Rosary at a different house every Sunday for 15 years.

Although she was a woman of humble means, Sra. Rodriguez valued the importance of the faith community with her service. Her kind and giving nature was expressed through a lifetime of volunteering her time and talents to the Church, participating in prayer meetings, Jamaicas, and other church functions as a fundraiser, cook, singer and tambourine player, seamstress, and rosary maker.

Sra. Rodriguez was a woman of many talents and pastimes. She was an excellent cook, and her meals were always the highlight of family gatherings. Her tamales, chicken mole, caldos, menudo, rice and beans, papas guisadas, chile, baked goods, breakfast tacos, and homemade tortillas would bring the family together like nothing else. She was incredibly handy and resourceful around the homestead, a product of her generation. Her love of nature and gardening was evident in the beautiful flowers, plants, and vegetables that she tended to in her yard and the various animals she raised – her chickens were her favourite.

While she never took official employment, she delighted in the thrills of being a professional tamale peddler and garage sale operator. As a skilled craftswoman, she loved sewing, making rosaries, and late in life, painting prayer rocks, coloring, and assembling paper crafts. Sra. Rodriguez was often found in quiet prayer and deep meditation, reading her bible, or writing to the Lord, but she especially loved singing praises to the Lord. She would often have “Coritos” playing in her home and would sing along joyfully and playfully while clapping as if she were shaping tortilla masa between her palms to the beat of the music! She was remarkably lucky when it came to her favourite game Bingo. She also enjoyed wearing fancy hats to church and loved collecting knickknacks with turtles on them.

Sra. Rodriguez was the primary caregiver to her husband Celestino when he began suffering from dementia years before his passing in 1996. Her gentle and caring nature was a comfort to him, and she provided a sense of stability and security when he needed it most. When Celestino passed away, Sra. Rodriguez was understandably heartbroken. But even in her grief, she held on to the faith that they would one day be reunited, and she remained strong and steadfast, continuing to live a life of purpose and meaning. She poured her love into her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, always putting their needs first. Her selfless dedication to caring for Celestino until his passing will continue to serve as an inspiration to family and all who knew her as she leaves behind a legacy of love and devotion to her family.

Throughout her life, her family has been favoured to have observed all the blessings she has endured. Sra. Rodriguez leaves her family with Hope as they have witnessed all the obstacles she overcame through her fervent faith in God. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her, and her legacy will live on through the memories she created. Her impact on all the lives she touched will undoubtedly be felt for generations to come.

Sra. Rodriguez is preceded in death by Her Husband: Celestino Rodriguez; Parents: Antonio and Sista (Lara) Morales; and 6 Sisters: Maria Cordova, Tomasa Ruiz, Manuela Rivera, Gavina Torres, Lupe Ontiveros, and Margarita Ruiz.

Sra. Rodriguez is survived by 2 Daughters: Inez Reyes, and Andrea Luna and husband Lazaro; 1 Son: Jesse Rodriguez and wife JoAnn; and 16 Grandchildren, 26 Great-Grandchildren, and 20 Great-Great-Grandchildren.

Visitation Services will be held on Sunday, March 26th, 2023, from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., with Recitation of the Holy Rosary at 7:00 p.m. at Mission Funeral Home-East Chapel, 1615 E. Cesar Chavez, Austin, Texas 78702.

Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. at San Francisco Javier Catholic Church, 9110 S. Hwy. 183 South, Austin, Texas 78747, with Rev. Fr. James Martin officiating.

Interment Committal Services will follow at Assumption Cemetery, 3650 S. IH-35, Austin Texas 78704.

Grandma, we love you! Thank you for being an example of God’s love!

Services will be live-streamed to allow those unable to attend to participate.  Follow link to Facebook Live Mission - East Side. 

Due to the Coronavirus /  COVID-19 Restrictions from the City of Austin,

capacity levels are restricted at funeral homes, churches, and cemeteries.

Each person entering the funeral home, church, and cemetery will be required to wear a mask

and to practice social distancing of 6 feet or more.   If you are ill or are concerned about the virus,

it is recommended that you not attend services. 

The family is so grateful to everyone for their understanding, love, and support

during this very difficult time.