Juanita Uribe Vela

Juanita Uribe Vela

Juanita Uribe Vela, 80, of Alice passed away on July 29, 2020. She was born on May 27, 1940 in Agua Dulce, Texas to Porfirio Uribe and Santos Ruiz Uribe. She was a graduate of Agua Dulce High School in 1959. She married the love of her life, Isidro Vela, on May 9, 1964 after meeting him at a local dance at La Villita in Alice in 1961. They were married for 56 years.

She was a housewife who lovingly supported her husband who was transferred to Gonzales in 1974 as a HEB Produce Manager in Gonzales, Texas. While living in Gonzales, she was a babysitter to children of educators. With her passion for plants and flowers, she quickly developed a green thumb and landed a job at Torres Fence and Nursery in the early 1980s. She truly enjoyed gardening and took pride in growing vegetables in her own home garden. Her love of family, loyalty and dedication as a daughter and sister took her back home to Alice in 1988 to care for her mother and sister. She was employed at Wal-Mart in the fabrics department for fifteen years.

Juanita loved cooking, baking and enjoyed trying new recipes for desserts. She seemed to have lived in an apron, taking pride in making her traditional Mexican dishes for family, friends and church family. She had a collection of aprons for every season and holiday. What filled her heart with joy was her favorite family tradition of baking each of her loved ones their favorite flavored birthday cake. She never turned anyone away who needed a birthday cake because she was always ready to bake. Juanita also had a love of gardening and tending to her well-manicured plants and flowers. She enjoyed picking vegetables and fruit and even had an orange tree. She enjoyed the outdoors while swinging and praying on her patio rocking chair. Above all her hobbies, what she loved most was spending quality time with her grandchildren and great grandchildren. A tradition that will be missed is her singing the sweet song “You Are My Sunshine” to every grandchild and great grandchild.

The only thing that came before her family was her faith. She served the Lord with her Catholic faith for many years and taught CCD for much of that time. In 1994, she found a new relationship with Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior. She served him faithfully by her discipline and obedience. Juanita was a prayer warrior to many and loved to pray. She enjoyed reading her bible, could spend hours at church and loved getting dressed up to go to church. Her favorite scripture was Psalms 119: 105 “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” This scripture spoke to her heart because she saw the lamp as a symbol of guidance, God’s word. She was deeply rooted in her foundation and always knew where to find the light. Juanita loved to dance for the Lord and sing unto Him with her personal tambourine because she was passionate about worship and praise. Along with her many favorite scriptures, she also loved Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. She ran the race for eternal life whether she stumbled to earn her crown, she became a victor as a champion athlete. There is no doubt that as she entered her final resting place, she heard the words “Well done, thy good and faithful servant”.

Juanita is preceded in death by her parents, Porfirio Uribe and Santos Ruiz Uribe, three brothers, Jesus Uribe, Albert Uribe, Julian Uribe and two sisters, Teresa Uribe Garza, Virginia Uribe Rodriguez and a great granddaughter, Hannah Gaytan.

She is survived by her beloved husband, Isidro Vela, four daughters, Laurie (Papa Joe) Murillo, Glenda Vela, Nora (LeeRoy) Camarillo, and Katherine (David) Vela and her sister, Janie (Luis) Uribe Galvan. She leaves a legacy though her nine grandchildren, Lorina (Alfred) Gaytan, Jeremy Guerra, Jacob Rivera; Starla (Joey) Vela, Timothy (Jenyse) Rodriguez, Jeralyn (Leo) Gonzalez; Kyle Camarillo; Colby and Skylar Cantu and eleven great grandchildren, Bethany, Carson, Addisyn, Jaren, Landon, Jeremy Jr., Brylin, Collin, Kaitlyn, Zane, Ensley, Emarie, Zaiyla, Leo Jr., Judah, and Jeslynn.

There will be a private viewing for immediate family only 2 to 3 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 7 at Rosas Funeral Home, Inc. located at 1215 W. Front St. in Alice, TX.

Due to current CDC, state and local mandates, protective measures regarding social distancing, limited attendance capacity, and use of personal protective masks will be required for the visitation. Those remotely symptomatic of COVID-19 are politely asked not to attend.