Maria Dicarlo Garza

Maria Dicarlo was born on April 14, 1921 in Sacramento, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Mexico and passed at the age of 103 on May 26, 2024. She was born to Donato M. Dicarlo from Italy and Emilia Cardenas Romo from Mexico. Some of the family spell the last name DiCarlo (a slight variation), while my mom kept it as recorded by her father as Dicarlo when he came as a teen to the United States to Ellis Island. Her late maternal grandparents were Jose Maria Romo and Paula Cardenas from Mexico and late Italian paternal grandparents Pascual Dicarlo and Irene Moreni (or her maiden name may have been Morelli).

When she was about a year old she was accompanied by her parents Donato and Emilia, brother Pascual and sister Guadalupe, and immigrated to the USA through Eagle Pass on January 23, 1922 and lived in Kerrville, Texas before making San Antonio, Texas their permanent home. On September 28, 1951, Maria completed citizenship classes and proudly became a naturalized citizen of the United States.

At a young age she married Jose Ayala Leal, and although their marriage ended in divorce, they shared both joy and sorrow. They experienced the heartbreak of losing their first born, three-month-old Jesus Leal through illness, then twin sons through miscarriage. They were blessed with two surviving sons, Jose (Joe/Pepe) Leal, Francisco (Frank) Leal. About 12 years later Maria welcomed daughter, Emilia Dicarlo into the world.

Her son Frank (Herminia Perez) blessed her with seven granddaughters, Emily (John DiPaola), Rosemary Leal Walding, Olga (David Gonzales), Leticia (Letty), Gina (Brian Bjorkman), Laura and Margie. Her son Joe Leal (Mariana Rivera) gave her three more grandchildren, Joe (Rosie), Elizabeth (Javier Martinez) and Virginia (Corey Zavala). Her daughter Emilia (James Devno) added two more grandchildren James C. and Jessie Marie Devno. Maria was further blessed with numerous great and great-great grandchildren.

Later in life she was married to the late Miguel Anguiano and they adopted Miguel’s grandson, Juan (Tony) Antonio Anguiano who passed away in January 2024. In 1973 she married Margarito Garza, adding his children Juan Diego, Guadalupe and Chela Garza to her extended family.

Maria worked hard all her life housekeeping in the Alamo Heights area for several families, including a doctor, and at what is now named the McNay Art Institute, worked at a job tying fishing lures, and later retired as a seamstress from the former downtown Stowers furniture company. She was a member of her local parish catholic church and the Guadalupanas, with such great faith in the power of prayer, she always prayed for everyone. While she lived in a senior’s complex and then a nursing home, she made many friends, who remained close to her. Grandma loved to sing (she had a beautiful voice), loved to dance and sew and she could make the best tamales and guisados. She had a fabulous fruit cake recipe she made at Christmastime.

She survived several heart attacks and near death’s door, she had a quintuple (five vein) bypass surgery over 20 years ago, suffered from heart failure and AFib for the past 8 years and remained strong fueled by her faith in God and love of her family.

Her children will always warmly remember her as Mom and Ama, her grandchildren as Momo Mary, Grandma Chongo and Grandma. Her nieces and nephews as Aunt Mary and friends as Mama Mary.

Maria was preceded in death by her parents Donato and Emilia Dicarlo, brother Pascual Dicarlo, sister- in-law Ofelia Mancha Dicarlo, sister Guadalupe Dicarlo DeLaCruz and brother-in-law Rejino DeLaCruz, infant son Jesus Leal, her twins, son Juan Antonio Anguiano, her nephew Richard Dicarlo, her husband Margarito Ruiz Garza, stepdaughter Guadalupe Garza Rodriguez and son-in-law James J. Devno.

She is survived by her children Frank (Hermina) Leal, Joe Leal (Mariana) and Emilia Dicarlo Devno and her grandchildren, great grandchildren, great-great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.

A special thanks to all our family and friends who helped make her last birthday in April a wonderful celebration. The family extends a special thanks to the Nurses, CNA’s, Aides, Activity director, Staff at Heritage Nursing Home and AIP Hospice care involved in her care and the staff at Puente & Sons funeral home in helping us lay her to rest. We ask that next year on April 14, 2025, her birthday, please enjoy her favorite meal, a cup of coffee and a taco in her memory. God’s blessings to all who knew and loved her.