Juanita Capetillo Garcia was born to Domingo Capetillo and Petra Peñaflor Capetillo on December 27, 1931 in Ft. Worth, Texas during the "dead of winter". She was the 5th of seven children raised in Methodist church, and the only one of her siblings to graduate high school at N. R. Crozier Tech. After high school, Juanita went on to work as a bank teller at Republic National Bank in downtown Dallas, Texas. She eventually retired from Standard Manufacturing Company after 18 years of service. Although she faced many hardships throughout her 91-year life, she devoted herself to raising 5 children: Juanita "Janie" Antonia Van Noy, Marcos Lionel Garcia, Paula Lucinda "Lucy" Sanchez, Angelina "Angie" Marie Garcia, and Jaime Joe Garcia.
Even though Juanita was a petite woman at 4'7", she had the personality and courage of a woman twice her size. She was fierce, strong-willed and a force to be reckoned with. She never backed down when it came to protecting her children and instilled lifelong values within each of them. Juanita loved to dance, read magazines and newspaper articles, and always preferred her Tecate with a little salt and lime. She leaves behind one brother; Joe Angel Capetillo, 5 children, 14 grandchildren and 24 great grandchildren.
