Esther Fuentes

When Mrs. Esther Villarreal de las Fuentes joined her beloved Jesus Christ in heaven on the 17 of May 2011, she was nearly 100 years old.
Born on July 31, 1911, she was the only child of Juan and Juventina (Vedia) Villarreal. Contrary to the times when young women were raised to be wives and homemakers, Esther's parents taught her the skills of their trade as merchants, and instilled in her the character traits of industry, perseverance, independence, and excellence. Following her graduation from Laredo Business College, she excelled in her commercial activities as lead purchaser at Laredo Produce Co., office manager for Tropical Fruit Co., and as one of Laredo's first female US-Mexico custom brokers.
In 1935, Esther married Jose de las Fuentes and they moved to Cuernavaca, Mexico, to pursue his career as a civil engineer. They returned to Laredo and there they had two children, Mary Esther and Jose Jr. Through her employment and her mother's tamaleria and tortilleria business, they were able to put both of Esther's children through private schools and college, and her mother and herself into comfortable retirements.
Esther rarely left Laredo except to visit her children and grandchildren. Her love and devotion to them compelled her to visit them wherever they lived. As a result, she was able to experience some of the best the world has to offer, from travels in Mexico, Europe, the Caribbean, and all over the US, she went via planes, trains, boats, and cruises. For many years, one of her favorite places to visit was Las Vegas, Nevada, where her daughter lived. She loved the casinos and one could find her spending hours cruising the aisles with a tub of nickels balanced on a hip looking for a "hot" machine!-
One of her passions was music, and between 1947 and 1995, Esther served God through her Music Ministry at Christ the King Church as organist, choral director, and lead soprano "? all at the same time! For nearly 50 years, proof of her unfaltering commitment to the catholic community could be seen up in the choir loft as she used her head like a baton to keep tempo for the choir, while her small feet pumped the foot pedals, and swollen arthritic hands played two levels of keys.
Esther's love and devotion to her children was returned in kind via tangible and intangible ways as she was dearly doted upon by her children who cared and provided for her in her retirement and old age so well that the last 20 years of her life was one where she was relatively pampered and able to fully enjoy her Godiva chocolates and novellas, chismiando con las vecinas, y al gato.
Mrs. Esther Villarreal de las Fuentes was well loved and loved well. Left behind to celebrate her life and cherish her memories are her children Mary Ester Haen and Jose de las Fuentes, Ret. USN; grandchildren, Deborah Haen, Cynthia de las Fuentes, Sandra de las Fuentes, and Lisa de las Fuentes (Murali Chakinala); and great grandchildren Christopher Haen and Nicole HaenCarneado, Maya de las Fuentes, Nathaniel and Zachary Dover, and Sanjay and Praveen Chakinala. In death, she was finally reunited with her beloved mother, father, grandson, Robert (Bobby) Haen, and many other treasured family and friends.
We are grateful to the special attention Esther received from Dr. Luis Benavades, Ms. Montemayor, and to her devoted friend and care-taker, Maria Luisa Resendez.
Join us in celebrating Esther's life at the viewing and recitation of the rosary on Friday evening from 5:00 "? 8:00 pm at Joe Jackson Funeral Chapel on 179 Loring Street. The funeral mass will be held at Christ the King Church on 1105 Tilden Ave. on Saturday morning at 9:00 am followed by a burial at Catholic Calvary Cemetery on 3600 McPherson Ave.