Minerva B. Piña

If there was one thing Minerva “Minnie” Piña loved, it was family and friends and the social gatherings that brought them together. The relationships she fostered in her community carried through her lifetime and into her final days. Minnie died on Aug. 25, 2022, with the family and friends she loved so much at her side. She was 86.

A rosary will be held Friday, Sept. 9, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. at St. Patrick Catholic Church, where she and her husband were members for more than six decades. A mass will be held at the church Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, at 10 a.m., with burial following at Peaceful Gardens Memorial Park.

Born in 1936 in Robstown, Minnie was one of five children. Her father, Servando Barrientes, Sr., was a trucker and her mother, Gregoria “Lola” Barrientes, a homemaker. She met Aurelio Piña in her hometown, and the two married in 1955. Together, they would build a home and family in Lubbock, along with a marriage that lasted 65 years before Aurelio passed away in 2020.

Minnie was a merry person who loved to laugh and didn’t take herself too seriously. She enjoyed going on theme park rides with her grandchildren and taking them to Dairy Queen and McDonald’s for treats. She was lovingly teased for her lopsided cakes – never even, but always tasty. She enjoyed serving those cakes to the family and friends who gathered at her home, where her children, siblings, cousins, and longtime friends often gathered for cookouts, celebrations, and other festivities.

Minnie was a social butterfly: Being around family and friends truly brought her joy. In her younger years, she often served as a companion and helper to the older women in her neighborhood. She took them to the grocery store, helped them pay their bills, or rounded up a group of them for a meal out. When she wasn’t out with others, she was on the phone, which her family members count as her favorite “hobby.”

Minnie was very active throughout her lifetime as a member of St. Patrick Catholic Church. She was a member of the Guadalupana Society, making tamales for and volunteering at church events. She was so dedicated to the Catholic organization that she requested to be laid to rest in red, white, and green attire – the colors of the Guadalupana uniform.

Throughout her lifetime, Minnie exemplified what it was to give, whether it was to her husband, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, relatives, or friends. Family was everything to her, and there’s nothing she wouldn’t do to help them. It’s no wonder that more than one friend or relative designated her their adopted mother, grandmother, or aunt. Her warmth and nurturing nature drew people to her.

In her last days, Minnie had been recovering from surgery at a rehabilitation facility. Sensing her time was near, she demanded to be taken home. It was there in a home brimming with a lifetime of fond memories, love, and laughter that she passed.

Minnie is survived by her son Aurelio Piña, Jr. (Dolores Vecchio) of Lubbock; daughter Rosemary Hicks (Freddie) of Lubbock; daughter-in-law Diana Piña of Lubbock; brothers Servando Barrientes (Janey) of Lubbock, Ricky Barrientes (Sandra) of Corpus Christi, and Rob Robertson (Debi) of Ocala, Fla.; sister Alicia Salinas of Corpus Christi; six grandsons – Aurelio Piña III, Jaime Piña, Marcus Piña, Rene Jimenez, Michael Piña, and Bryan Piña – 11 great grandchildren; and “adopted” grandson Arnold Perez. She was preceded in death by her husband Aurelio Piña, son Hector Piña, and brother Johnny Barrientes.

The Piña family would like to say a special thanks to Maribel Hall, Estella Gomez, Wanda Davis, and Shareika Bates of Accent Hospice for their continuous care and love of Minnie in her final days.