MARIA GUADALUPE “BEBE” PALACIOS
PHARR - Maria Guadalupe "Bebe" Palacios (Ramos), 87, of Pharr, TX. joined our loving creator at 8:16 pm Thursday, July 23, 2020, at home in Pharr, TX. Our beloved Mother passed away peacefully in the presence of her beloved husband and life partner of 64 years, Leo "Polo" Palacios, Jr. She was born March 18, 1933, in Pharr, TX. to Amando and Alicia Ramos who preceded her in death.
Mother grew up in Pharr and attended Buell Elementary School. She especially enjoyed spending summers at her grandparent's ranch, with her Madrina Aurora, in Falcon, Texas. She had a special love for her Madrina Aurora Ramos+, her aunt, who she saw as her second mother. She graduated from PSJA ISD High School, which is now the PSJA T-STEM ECHS. Mother later married the love of her life, Polo Palacios, in 1956. She proceeded to dedicate her life to working full time and raising her six children together with our father, Polo. She was a devout Catholic, a dedicated servant to our Lord Jesus Christ, and remained a faithful practicing member of St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church her entire life. Together, our parents taught us the importance of our Christian faith. She worked many years for the PSJA ISD tax office and later Mom and Dad owned and operated Personal Loan Finance Company in downtown Pharr. After retiring, she dedicated herself to being a loving grandmother/great grandmother to her beloved angels and spending time with Dad, engaging in public service in their community as Mayor and First Lady for the City of Pharr, while practicing their Christian faith. Mother, affectionately known as "Bebe", was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother/ great grandmother, sister, and friend to many that she loved and those who loved her. She was compassionate, caring, and a resilient woman. She had a kind heart and playful spirit. She lived every day of her life instilling these values in her children, those she loved, and those whose lives she touched over the years. She believed in treating everyone with kindness, respect, and dignity. She also believed very strongly in always being honest and never sparing the truth with others even when it was difficult and not convenient to do so. She often told us to "think about the consequences" of our decisions. She believed in the importance of forgiveness, not holding grudges, and always praying for others. She spent her last years closely surrounded by her loving family, sharing beautiful life stories, laughing, and always making sure we took note of the lessons that each story taught us. Over the years she always reminded her children and grandchildren to be grateful for what they had and that there were many others who were in greater need. She simply made everyone feel loved, important, and special. We are a big family and she loved each and every one of us unconditionally. Grandma "Bebe" was the matriarch and backbone of our family and will be dearly missed.
She is survived by her loving husband, Leo "Polo" Palacios, Jr. from Pharr, six children, Hector X. (Melva) Palacios from Pharr, Aurora Imelda Palacios from San Juan, Leo (Tricia) Palacios from Kyle, Rene (Dyanne) Palacios from Pharr, Anna Lilia (Christopher)Teter from Round Rock, and Laura Alicia (Ted) Disque from Pharr. Also surviving are 20 grandchildren, 18 great grandchildren, brothers Amando Ruben (Irma+) Ramos from Pharr, Gilberto Xavier (Alicia) Ramos from Pharr, and her sister Rosa (Juan+) Almanza from Pharr. She is also survived by her inlaws Manuel Cantu of Pharr, Artemio (Cuca) Palacios of Pharr, Hector "Tito" (Berta) Palacios of San Juan, Oscar (Viola) Palacios of Pharr, many nephews, nieces, godchildren, many family relatives, comadres and compadres, loving neighbors, and hundreds of loving friends whom she considered family. She is preceded in death by her sister Maria Alicia Ramos Cantu of Pharr, her parents-in-law Leopoldo and Lilia (Farias)Palacios, Sr. from Pharr, her sisters-in-law Dora Palacios Alva of McAllen, Irma Palacios Ramos, and Belia Palacios of Pharr.
Our family would like to give special thanks to our sister Laura and her husband, Ted, who consistently nursed and cared for our mother during the last several years of her life up to her death. We will forever be grateful for their tireless and daily dedication to our mother. A very special thanks also to Gloria Rodriguez who provided in home care for our mother for over six years, Dr. Alfredo Gonzalez, his office staff, La Mision Palliative Care & Hospice, and the many other dedicated medical professionals that cared for our mother over the years.
Due to the current pandemic, and in an effort to protect the community, chapel and interment services will be regretfully restricted to immediate family only. We are extremely grateful and appreciative for all the calls, text messages, food, cards, flowers, and other correspondence received. We are deeply saddened we cannot celebrate Mother's life in a traditional fashion; however, the safety of our community is a priority. Although we are apart during this difficult time, we are together in spirit. "Bebe" will live in our hearts forever.
Funeral services were under the direction of Memorial Funeral Home in San Juan.