November 12th, 2020. Her loving children were at her bedside.
She was married to the absolute love of her life, the late Didio Vela, for 68 years, and together,
with God's help, they lovingly raised their family and modeled the life of overcoming obstacles
and succeeding through hard work. She was also preceded in death by her son, Didio Jr,
daughter, Teodora (Tita), Great-Grandson Zachary Wendell, brothers Encarnacion Salinas and
Enrique Salinas and a sister Evangelina Mendieta.
She is survived by daughters Anna Lugo (Joe, Jr.), Sylvia C. Valencia (Ben), son Ovidio Vela,
Sr. (Elva), 9 grand-children, 18 great-grandchildren, and 2 great-great-grandchildren.
Eloisa, in her crisp, starched white uniform and cap, proudly worked as a nurse in Victoria, Port
Lavaca, and Louisiana. After she retired as a nurse, she helped run her husband's
business, Vela Cement Finishing Company, by being his accountant, payroll clerk, errand runner, business manager, "boss lady", head of household, and best friend.
One of their favorite things to do was to go country and western dancing on the weekends. They
even won a dance contest once!
Our family is very thankful to God that she lived long enough to make lasting beautiful memories
for her grandchildren, making the "best pancakes ever", and the best carne guisada, with
homemade tortillas.
Even in her advanced years, in every phone conversation, she would offer guidance to her
children about the importance of family. She quietly influenced, by example, to help form this
loving family. Her most valuable, appreciated, genetic contribution to this family tree may have
been her kind heart.
Visitation will be held at Richardson-Colonial Funeral Home in Port Lavaca on Wednesday,
November 18th, from noon till service at 2 p.m., followed by burial at Greenlawn Cemetery.
Words of comfort may be shared with the family at www.richardsoncolonial.com.
