Jacinta Alvarez Leal

September 11, 1931 - June 3, 2022

Jacinta A. Leal, 90, died on June 3, 2022, at her home in Harlingen, Texas. She was recently brought home from the hospital after a lengthy illness and surrounded by family, she took her last breath and answered the Lord’s call. She was born September 11, 1931 in Primera, Texas to Guadalupe and Felipa Alvarez. Jacinta attended Wilson Elementary and graduated from Harlingen High School in 1950. Jacinta started working at the Harlingen Public Library while still in high school, fulfilling a number of library positions as she advanced in her career. She retired after 47 years of devoted service to the city of Harlingen in 1996. Jacinta was an active member of Queen of Peace Catholic Church, did volunteer ministry outreach in las colonias, and belonged to Las Guadalupanas, a group of women with a special devotion to the Holy Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe. She also taught catechism classes, helping many become closer to the Lord and obtain their first communion. She married the love of her life, Jose I. Lopez, in 1987. They spent their days doing volunteer church work, gardening, traveling and visiting with their extended family. They were deeply devoted to each other. Jacinta is preceded in death by her parents, Guadalupe and Felipa; her sisters, Inez Loredo, Maria Alvarez, and Ceferina Buenrostro; her brothers, Pablo Alvarez and Eluterio Alvarez; and her sisters-in-law, Juanita V. Alvarez and Maria C. Alvarez. Jacinta is survived by her extended family, numerous nieces and nephews, and close friends. With a grateful heart full of many emotions, we thank the Lord for the many years of life given to our dear Tía Jacinta. We want to thank all who prayed for her, sent well wishes, and/or visited her during her illness. We appreciate your expressions of kindness and affection to her. Special thanks are given to the many doctors and health professionals that attended to her; her devoted caregivers Alma D. Cano, Isabel Arreola, Francis Maria Montalvo, and Petra Carranza; and the network of family / close friends who took her to numerous doctor’s appointments or assisted her in countless ways, Ino Alvarez, Hoss Alvarez, Polly Alvarez, Jesusa Rubio, Yolanda Leal, Adriel Alvarez, Oscar Peῇate, and Ernesto Alvarez. Additional thanks to our relatives from Chicago, Natividad and Juanita Loredo, Maria Alicia and Antonio Rodriguez and their children. Please continue to pray for our family as we work through the next few days making arrangements and consoling one another. Visitation will be on Wednesday, June 8, at the Rudy Garza Funeral Home from Noon to 9:00 p.m. with a Rosary Service at 7:00 p.m. Funeral services will be held Thursday, June 9, 2022 departing at 9:30 a.m. for a 10:00 a.m. Mass of Christian burial at Queen of Peace Catholic Church and burial will follow at Ashland Cemetery. Honored to serve as pallbearers are; Adriel Alvarez, Ernest Alvarez, Armando Buenrostro, Jr., Rick Santillan, Eddie Alvarez and Jesusa Rubio and honorary pallbearer will be Thiago Alvarez. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Rudy Garza Funeral Home of Harlingen.