Estela "Mana" Morales was born in Durango Mexico in 1939. Mana married Gilberto in 1962 and embraced their extended family as her own. She was a loving wife, mother and aunt who was always willing to help everyone.  She treated all nephews and nieces with love and compassion like they were her own. Her house was always full of children and neighbors playing and enjoying her open house and love. We all remember going to the movies and asking, "pass the drink, torta, candy" and out of her magical bag came the drinks, food and treats as we enjoyed a movie.

Mana, Gilberto and their two children Estela and Gilberto moved to El Paso, Texas in 1978.  After her husband's passing in 1985, she went back to school and earned an Associate Degree in Child Development. She supported and encouraged her children Estela and Gilberto to continue their dream to be first generation college graduates. To make ends meet, she opened a home daycare center and genuinely loved the children she cared for as if they were her own. In the summer of 1998, she moved to Arlington, Texas, to live with her son, Gilberto, his wife Claudia and her granddaughters, Giselle and Melissa whom she adored.

Mana was kind, gentle, soft spoken and nurturing.  She cared for her daughter Estela during her battle with Leukemia in 2002 and she nurtured her grandson Anthony with much care and wisdom. On her daily walks, she would always "find" coins or little trinkets that she would share with him to help him cope with such a challenging hand.  Mana was Estela's biggest supporter and pillar, and she navigated the complex world of cancer in Houston, Texas with her peaceful demeanor. After Estela's passing, she continued her legacy of love and support caring for her grandchildren, Giselle, Anthony, Melissa, and Oscar.

Mana was a loving grandma, showering Giselle, Anthony, Melissa and Oscar with love, attention, and time. Our children's early years were filled with many adventures, forts, arts and crafts, home-made playdough, trips to the library and park with Mana. Some of their best memories, include "sleepovers" with Grandma, cuddling in bed with her, watching TV and doing many creative activities. During the school year, she patiently waited for them to arrive from school, and received them with a big smile and bowls of fresh fruits that she carefully prepared for them.

Mana was truly, the perfect mother-in-law, and we developed a great partnership for 27 years. She taught me to believe in each other's ability to raise our children. We trusted and respected each other's style and judgement and we literally learned to pass the baton back and forth as partners on the same team and with the same goal always respecting each other's independence and ideas. She was the best advocate not only of her grandchildren but our entire family. We owe many of our professional and personal successes to her dedication and love for all of us.

At the end, we became Mana's parents, as Alzheimer's took her little by little in a span of 4 years. Her gentleness, kindness, and total trust in us were present until the end, and she took her last breath with us by her side, hearing how much she was loved and how grateful we were for her presence in our home and our lives.

We will be forever grateful to the team of her kind and compassionate caregivers, Yvette, Destiny and Elsie who helped us care for her allowing us to return a small fraction of what she did for us and our children for over 25 years. VITAS Hospice Healthcare helped us navigate the last months and their support and compassion were present in every person who visited our home.

Mana will be greatly missed; however, her calming presence and loving and gentle spirit will live forever in our hearts.

Celebration of Mana's Life will be on Friday October 11th at 11am at Most Blessed Catholic Sacrament Church,  2100 N. Davis Dr., Arlington, TX 76012. Burial after mass at Moore Memorial Garden, 1219 North Davis Drive Arlington, TX 76012. Lunch at 1:30pm at La Isla Restaurant, 2233 W. Park Row Dr., Pantego, Tx 76013.