Lucy Cuellar

Lucy Cuellar, 87, of Rowlett passed away July 29, 2019.

Rosary will be said at 5:00 p.m., Friday, August 2, 2019 at Our Lady of Guadalupe, 1210 SE 11th. Funeral mass will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, August 3, 2019 at the church. Burial will follow in Llano Cemetery. Arrangements are by Schooler Funeral Home.

Lucy Velasquez was born on October 30, 1931 to Jose and Matilda Velasquez in Santa Rosa, New Mexico, the oldest of three children.  The family moved from Santa Rosa to Amarillo, Texas when Lucy was a teenager and it was in Amarillo that she fell in love, raised a family, became active in church activities and is now being brought back home to a place she loved.

In 1952, Lucy married the love of her life, Ralph Cuellar, whom she met when he offered her a stick of gum.  Together, they raised six children, Ralph Jr., Jesse, Lupe, Lawrence, Edward and Rita.  Although they moved to Lubbock, Texas for four years, they returned back to Amarillo, where they owned and operated a tortilla factory and tienda.  They later converted the tienda to a restaurant.   All their children learned the value of hard work when they spent time working either the register in the tienda, serving tables, or counting tortillas.  No one was too young to work.

Lucy also enjoyed games of chance and would never pass up the opportunity to play bingo or visit a casino when invited.   Her enjoyment came from the possibility of winning, but also from sharing the moment with those who accompanied her to these events.

Later in life, Lucy became an avid pet lover and enjoyed the companionship that her beloved pets offered.  It was not uncommon to find her under the covers with her schnauzer Tasha or her dachshund Penny.  In return, they loved her and were fiercely protective of her.

Although her children eventually moved away from Amarillo, Lucy cherished the times they came to visit, especially the holidays.  During Christmas, she would make her famous gorditas, menudo and homemade tamales.  She was a fantastic cook.

Lucy believed in serving and much of her service was to the Catholic Church.   She served as a Gudadalupana for Our Lady of Guadalupe Church for many years and cherished the fellowship in Christ that this special group of ladies provided.  Although she eventually moved from Amarillo to El Paso, Texas and Littlefield Texas, she always became a loyal parishioner serving Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in El Paso, Texas and once again served as a Guadalupana for Sacred Heart Church in Littlefield, Texas.

Lucy was a very religious and faithful woman.  She loved reading about different saints and believed in the healing power of prayer. The Blessed Virgin Mary had a special place in her heart. She was fortunate to be able to make three pilgrimages to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary.  The first was in 1956 to the Basilica of our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico which contains the cloak bearing the image of Our Lady.  The second was in 1991 to Medjugorje, Bosnia where in 1981 six local children said they had seen visions of Our Lady.  The third was in 1993 to Lourdes, France, where she bathed in water from the springs where Our Lady appeared to Bernadette.   These pilgrimages strengthened her faith and it was through this faith that she was able to gain sustenance during difficult periods in her life.   Although we grieve the loss of our mother, if she could send us a message, she would tell us that although our hearts are heavy with grief because she is no longer with us, that we should take solace in our faith, that she is with our heavenly Father and will be welcomed with open arms by those loved ones who await her in Heaven.