Esther E. Diaz de Leon Gutierrez

Our beloved mother, Esther Edith Diaz de Leon Gutierrez, joined our Heavenly Father in eternal life on Easter Sunday, April 9, 2023. She was born on November 8, 1942 in San Luis Potosi, Mexico and was the third of eight children. At the age of 11, Esther and her family moved to Austin, TX in hopes of a better life. Having never learned or spoken the English language before moving, our mother entered the public school system and successfully learned to be a fluent English speaker. Esther attended the University of Texas at Austin where she studied romance languages in the hopes of one day traveling the world as an interpreter. Esther’s aspirations changed upon meeting our father, Jose Ignacio Gutierrez, at the university. They were happily married for 59 years and together had six children that Esther devoted her life to raising. She embraced motherhood with the same positivity and zeal that she demonstrated in all aspects of her life and her children thrived under her loving care.

Esther was not only a kind, giving, and generous mother, she was also very intelligent and witty. She was a whiz at Algebra, especially word problems, and patiently explained even the most complicated concepts to her children when needed. Unflappable, Esther was a problem-solver and relished new challenges. In addition to volunteering as a room mother, field trip chaperone and librarian’s assistant at her childrens’ elementary school, Sacred Heart, she served as the accountant for her husband’s business, neighborhood Pharmacy, for 49 years. When Esther was not working, she enjoyed gathering with family and friends, watching old movies and rooting for her favorite sports teams, the Longhorns and San Antonio Spurs, especially. Esther loved music, loved dressing up and loved to go dancing. On most Sundays, Esther and Jose would pile their kids into the car and go out to their ranch to feed the cattle, grill barbecue, and play baseball or would spend the afternoon taking long drives with no specific destination, never failing to pick up a Dairy Queen treat— her favorite being the Tropical Blizzard.

Esther was not only a devoted wife and mother. She was also the best grandma. She cherished her eight grandchildren with all her heart. She was happiest when her family would get together at her house to enjoy her amazing cooking as she delighted in watching the grandchildren run around and play with the toys her own children had played with decades

earlier.

Her children and grandchildren were blessed beyond measure to have had her as their mother, grandmother, teacher, friend, counselor, protector, advocate and biggest cheerleader. Just walking into her house always felt like a warm embrace.

Esther was preceded in death by her husband, Jose Ignacio Gutierrez, her grandparents, Moises Diaz de Leon, Josefa Macias Diaz de Leon, Felipe Cardenas and Calixta Soto Cardenas, her parents, Eustaquio Diaz de Leon and Esther Cardenas Diaz de Leon as well as her sisters Miriam Eastlack, and Irma Lopez de Lara.

She is survived by her sisters, Ruth E. Pagay, and Sonia Hartshorne, her brothers, Samuel Diaz de Leon, Moises Diaz de Leon, and Josh Diaz de Leon, her six children Yvette Marie Gutierrez Schieffer, (Michael A. Schieffer), Sonia Edith Gutierrez (Robert Chipman) Tania Gutierrez Huth (John Michael Huth), Jose Ignacio Gutierrez Jr., Ruth Esther Gutierrez (Alfredo Felipe Linz), and Javier Josue Gutierrez (Lindsay Reed), and her eight grandchildren, Kalyn, Sydney, and Daniel Schieffer, Emily and Nicholas Huth, Joseph and Olivia Gutierrez, and Elio Linz-Gutierrez.

The void Esther leaves on this earth is massive and she will be missed immensely by her family, friends, and community.

In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation to a favorite charity.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.wcfishnorth.com for the Diaz de Leon Gutierrez family.