MIREYA GUAJARDO, A LUCKY CHRISTMAS BABY  WAS BORN ON DECEMBER 25, 1935 TO GUADALUPE G. AND AURORA R. GUAJARDO.

SHE EARNED HER ASSOCIATE OF ARTS DEGREE IN 1960 FROM LAREDO JUNIOR COLLEGE. SHE TRAVELED ON SATURDAYS AND SUMMERS TO TEXAS & I IN KINGSVILLE, AND IN 1970 SHE EARNED HER BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN ELEMENTARY EDUCATION .

MIREYA STARTED HER CAREER AS A SUBSTITUTE TEACHER. LATER , SHE TAUGHT AT ST. AUGUSTINE SCHOOL, HOLDING INSTITUTE, AND DAICHES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. WHEN SHE WAS ASSIGNED TO THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT , SHE WENT BACK TO TEXAS A & I UNIVERSITY AND EARNED HOURS IN MUSIC . SHE TOOK HER HISTORY OF MUSIC COURSES FROM NORTH TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY. SHE WAS A MUSIC TEACHER AT OCHOA, TOMAS SANCHEZ, AND BRUNI ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. IN 1977, SHE TRAVELED TO SAN ANTONIO ON SATURDAYS AND SUMMERS TO ATTEND OUR LADY OF THE LAKE UNIVERSITY TO EARN HER ALL – LEVEL LIBRARY SCIENCE CERTIFICATE AND HER LEARNING RESOURCE SPECIALIST CERTIFICATE. SHE WAS THE SCHOOL LIBRARIAN AT OCHOA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FOR 10 YEARS. IN 1987 SHE WAS ASSIGNED TO J. W. NIXON HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARY FOR THE NEXT 10 YEARS . IN 1997 MIREYA RETIRED FROM LISD WITH 35 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE. FROM 1997 TO 1999, SHE WAS A LIBRARIAN AT ST. PETER CATHOLIC SCHOOL .

MIREYA WAS ALWAYS VERY ACTIVE IN THE COMMUNITY. SHE WAS A MEMBER OF THE ALETHEA SOCIETY FOR 35 YEARS. FOR MANY YEARS SHE WAS AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATON OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN. AS A MEMBER OF LAS DAMAS DE LA REPUBLICA DEL RIO GRANDE, SHE SUBMITTED SIX PATRIOTIC SCRAPBOOKS ALL OF WHICH RECEIVED THE GEORGE WASHINGTON HONOR MEDAL FROM

FREEDOM FOUNDATION AT VALLEY FORGE. AMONG THE SPECIAL PROGRAMS SHE WAS INVOLVED FOR MANY YEARS WERE HONORING GOLD STAR MOTHERS , SENOR INTERNACIONAL, TEJANO ACHIEVORS,OUTSTANDING TEEN SCHOLARS, INTERNATIONAL SPORTS HALL OF FAME AND TIGER LEGENDS . IN 1987, MIREYA WAS A GOLDEN APPLE AWARD NOMINEE AND WAS NAMED ” MADRINA OF THE J. W. NIXON LIBRARY ” . IN 2002 , SHE WAS AWARDED THE LULAC 12 COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD FOR HER SERVICE TO NUMEROUS PROJECTS FOUNDED BY HER BROTHER , PITIN GUAJARDO . SHE WAS A MEMBER OF THE MUSIC MAKERS, A CHOIR MADE UP OF TEACHERS AND OTHER SCHOOL PERSONNEL THAT PERFORMED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR CONVOCATION.

WHEN THE DIOCESE OF LAREDO WAS FOUNDED IN 2000, LUPITA RODRIGUEZ , ELSA IBARRA, AND MIREYA WORKED ON THE ARCHIVES . SHE ALSO STARTED THE PASTORAL CENTER LIBRARY OF THE DIOCESE OF LAREDO WHERE SHE WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN ARRANGING BOOKS IN THE DECIMAL SYSTEM BEING HELPED BY LUPITA HOWARD AND DR.ELIZABETH ALFORD . SHE WAS A MEMBER OF THE AUXILIARY TO LAREDO MEDICAL CENTER , WHERE SHE WAS A BOARD MEMBER AS WELL THE TUESDAY MUSIC AND LITERTURE CLUB AND THE VILLA DE SAN AGUSTIN OF LAREDO GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY. MIREYA ALSO FOUND TIME TO MODEL CLOTHES FOR STEIN MART AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH SEASON.

MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE TO REMEMBER ABOUT MIREYA WAS HER LOVE OF MUSIC. ALTHOUGH SHE PLAYED THE PIANO BEAUTIFULLY, SHE PLAYED BY EAR. SHE DID NOT READ MUSIC. THIS WAS DEFINITELY A TRUE GIFT !!! HER MUSIC ABILITY WAS COMPARABLE TO ANYONE WHO MASTERED THE SCALES OF MUSIC PAGES. SHE WAS A GENIUS WHEN CONSIDERING SOMEONE WOULD HUM A TUNE AND SHE PLAYED IT BY RECALLING MUSICAL NOTES FROM SPANISH AND ENGLISH COMPOSERS AS WELL AS BROADWAY MUSICALS .

GUAJARDO IS PRECEDED IN DEATH BY HER PARENTS, GUADALUPE ROBERTO GUAJARDO AND AURORA REYES GUAJARDO; AUNT, VIRGINIA REYES AND COUSIN ESPERANZA REYES.

SHE IS SURVIVED BY HER BOTHER, GUADALUPE (PITIN) GUAJARDO AND NIECE, THELMA (MODESTO) ARAMBULA AND FAMILY, DAUGHTER, ESPERANZA “ESPY” (RICARDO) CASTILLO AND FAMILY;  NEPHEW, BRUNO GUAJARDO AND FAMILY.

NIECES AND NEPEHWS, ALMA PEÑA AND FAMILY, ESPERANZA PEÑA AND FAMILY, ROBERTO PEÑA, BLAS SANCHEZ AND FAMILY, MIREYA LARA AND FAMILY, LAURA GAYTAN AND FAMILY, MARIA DEL SOCORRO ZAPATA AND FAMILY AND ROMUALDO ZAPATA AND FAMILY; CLOSE FRIENDS, CECILIA SANCHEZ AND FAMILY, ARDITH EPSTEIN, PATRICIA VELA AND FAMILY AND ROSARY (CHAYO) VELA AND FAMILY.  MIREYA WILL BE MISSED BY HER MANY FRIENDS AND RELATIVES. REST IN PEACE MIREYA.

THE FAMILY WILL BE RECEIVING CONDOLENCES ON WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2024, IN THE ANGELUS CHAPEL AT FRED DICKEY FUNERAL & CREMATION SERVICES FROM 8:00 AM TO 10:00AM. A CHAPEL SERVICE WILL BEGIN AT 9:30AM. INTERMENT WILL FOLLOW TO THE CALVARY CATHOLIC CEMETERY.

PALLBEARERS WILL BE;  MODESTO ARAMBULA, RICARDO CASTILLO, RICKY CASTILLO, ALEX CASTILLO, BLAS SANCHEZ AND ROGELIO LARA.

FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS ARE BY FRED DICKEY FUNERAL & CREMATION SERVICES, 1320 TREY DR., LAREDO, TEXAS 78041 (956) 723-3611. FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE, YOU MAY LEAVE YOUR CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILY ONLINE AT WWW.FREDDICKEY.COM

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