Lourdes R. Jones

Born María de Lourdes Rodríguez Enilo on February 11, 1934 in Apatzingán, Michoacán, Mexico, most people just knew her as LouLou or Grandma Jones. Very devout and loyal to her Catholic faith, she believed one day she would become a nun. She met the “love of her life,” Octavius, at an ice cream shop in Juárez, México while he was stationed at Fort Bliss and she was working as a nanny caring for two small children. As she told it, it was love at first sight and her aspirations of becoming a nun were replaced by other plans. She immigrated to the U.S. after marrying Octavius in 1952. During their time together they were blessed with six children. She would later say that she didn’t like leaving her children for even a minute; she loved them with all her heart.

Following Octavius’ retirement from the Army, he kept his promise to her that they would return to the area where their life together began, and they settled in El Paso, TX. Sadly, their 24-year marriage was cut short by his sudden death in 1975. LouLou’s home was always open to her family, both blood and found. She made sure that no one who stopped by left the house hungry. She made many memories around her custom kitchen table, as she would often be found there (be it cooking or playing cards).

Lourdes worked most of her adult life for Lockheed Martin (in New Jersey and at White Sands Missile Range) as a wire assembler. After her retirement from Lockheed Martin, Lourdes kept herself busy swimming and taking water aerobics classes at the YMCA, where she developed many friendships. She and her friends often planned outings after class that included going to the casino, having lunch, or just chatting for hours over iced tea. One time, when LouLou was sick and hadn’t been to class for a few days, they all showed up at her house, demanding to see her to make sure she was well. They loved her so.

In addition to swimming, retirement also brought Lourdes much-welcomed time to spend with her family, especially her grandchildren (many of whom lived with her for extended periods of time). She loved to see her grandchildren enjoy her cooking or spend time with them watching westerns or sporting events. An avid Dallas Cowboys fan (most of the time), she loved watching football and basketball (though she considered LeBron a “big bully”). LouLou enjoyed being in the stands watching her grandchildren perform, whether it was choir, modern dance, pep squad, band, orchestra, gymnastics, soccer, or basketball. Everyone always loved the stories she would tell about her younger days playing soccer, riding/training horses, and caring for the animals (she frequently explained that white corn was for humans and yellow corn was for the pigs, and she was taken aback that yellow corn was eaten by humans in the states). Oh, she had so many fascinating stories to tell… There is so much more that one could say about Lourdes, but above all else, it was always clear that the most important thing to Lourdes was family. She will be dearly missed by all who knew her.

Lourdes is preceded in death by her father Ezequiel, mother Petra, sister Margarita, husband Octavius (Sr.), and her youngest son, José Pepe. She is survived by her five children Octavius William (Jr.) (Kathy), Enrique Ezequiel, Ricardo Antonio (Ann), Yolanda Carmin, and Marcella Sylvia (Alexa), and José’s widow Marie Yvett; her sisters Regina, Petra, and Gloria; 20 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren, and 2 great-great-grandchildren (with 2 more on the way).