Gisela Velarde Ley

Gisela was born on the 8th of September 1970 in Miami, Florida to her beloved mother and father, Olga Dolores Lopez Velarde and the late Jose Guillermo Velarde, who welcomed Gisela to Heaven with a big hug and smile.

Gisela is survived by her loving husband, David Wendel Ley of Houston; their daughter, Elizabeth (her “little Ellie”) who was the light of her life; and her cherished Bichon Frise, “Lucky”. She is also survived by her immediate family for whom she had so much love and passion: mother, Olga Dolores Velarde; sister and best friend, Cynthia Velarde (Aaron Bennington) of Houston; brother, Raul Velarde (Dayton) of Atlanta; niece, Victoria Bennington; and nephews, Jack and Henry Velarde. She will be dearly missed by David’s family: mother-in-law, Sharon Ley Lietzow (Bob); sister-in-law, Katherine Ley O’Neill (Bill); brother-in-law, Kevin Ley (Julie); nephews, Chris, Charlie, and Billy O’Neill; and aunt, Judy Ley Allen. Gisela was also dearly loved and will be remembered by her relatives in Cordoba, Argentina whom she loved and communicated with on a regular basis. A special acknowledgement goes to Gisela’s caregiver and friend, Petra Faccuseh, who has given Gisela and the family such loving care and comfort over the years.

Gisela moved to Houston from Miami at the age of one. Her childhood was filled with love and a passion for family she carried throughout her life. Each summer she would travel with her family to Cordoba, Argentina to spend three months with her cousins in the city, at her Abuelo’s farm (with her pet pig), and traveling the country. These were such wonderful memories that she continued to visit Argentina and her relatives throughout her adult life. She attended St. Jerome’s, St. Agnes Academy, and Spring Woods High School. After graduating from Southwest Texas University (Texas State), and working in Houston, she decided to pursue her lifelong dream of moving to Los Angeles to become a fashion designer. She created her clothing line, Gizzy Pop Designs, worked tirelessly at her business, resulting in one of her proudest moments when Nordstrom picked up her fashion line. Gisela adored her 9 years in Los Angeles. She made so many wonderful memories and friends during her time there. She always considered herself a “LA” girl, so much that she refused to give up her 310 area code when she moved back to Texas. Gisela never missed an opportunity to return to California to visit her friends and take her husband and daughter to Disneyland again and again. Upon her return to Houston, she opened her boutique “Lola G” and then embarked on the most beautiful and rewarding part of her life, being a wife and a mother. David was the love of her life and she found so much happiness being his wife. Becoming a mom to Elizabeth was Gisela’s greatest accomplishment in life, and she was an amazing mom. Nothing gave her more joy than spending time with her family (“the 3 amigos”) either while visiting her favorite places - California, Colorado, Cayman Islands, Argentina, a Disney Cruise, and New Braunfels, or while enjoying quiet time in the backyard cooking out or watching Elizabeth play soccer. On top of being a wonderful wife and mother, Gisela was also a very devoted daughter to her mother and sister to Cynthia. She was dedicated to caring for her mother and loved taking her to Marshall's or Macy’s to scour the racks and try to find the ultimate bargain (which she usually did). She also had a special bond with her niece, Victoria. Gisela cherished all the time she spent with Cynthia, Aaron, and Victoria, including both their frequent travels and their regular Sunday dinners. Gisela also loved and adored her friends, both her old friends and the new friends she made at Duchesne. She never missed a chance to go “all out” decorating for a party. It did not matter if it was a small gathering for friends or a big birthday, it had to be perfect… and it always was. Gisela had a strong and deep faith with God. One of her life’s highlights was travelling to Jerusalem last year where she spent time in the Holy City walking in Jesus’s footsteps. This had such a profound impact on her that she is probably telling Jesus all about it right now with Pitbull playing in the background.

Gisela’s family would like to thank and recognize Dr. Vinod Ravi and his team at M.D. Anderson as well as Dr. Michael Reardon at Methodist Hospital. They provided Gisela the care that allowed her to build years of beautiful memories.

Friends are cordially invited to gather with the family and share memories of Gisela during a memorial reception to be held from five o'clock in the afternoon until eight o'clock in the evening on Thursday, the 11th of February, at Geo. H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering Drive in Houston.

A memorial service and celebration of life is to be conducted at one o'clock in the afternoon on Friday, the 12th of February, in the Jasek Chapel of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons. Virtual attendance is available via livestreaming and access may be obtained by visiting her page at GeoHLewis.com and selecting the “Join Livestream” icon in the “Memorial Service” section below.

In lieu of customary remembrances, the family requests with gratitude that memorial contributions in memory of Gisela Velarde Ley be directed to Angiosarcoma Awareness Inc. at CUREasc.org.