Olivia Vargas Quiroga

Olivia was born on February 7, 1950 in San Antonio, Texas to Salvador and Henrietta Vargas. She was the second oldest of five children – Carlos, Armando, Leticia, and Patricia, and grew up in a modest and loving home on Hampshire Street. As a child, she was an outgoing tomboy who spent most of her time outside playing with her siblings and picking fruit in their backyard.

From the very beginning of her life, she was a force of positivity and joy, and if you ever had the pleasure of knowing her, you know that she was one of the happiest people you may ever meet in a lifetime. Olivia had an incredibly lively personality, and so it really is no surprise that she spent her high school days cheerleading, dancing, and spreading her joy to others, graduating from Brackenridge High School in 1968.

Her first job was as a drafting clerk at Tobin Drafting and Design and she went on to hold other roles before her dreams really came together. Olivia took on the greatest role of all as a mother to two young boys, Romeo and Jason. She didn’t know it at the time, but she would also go on to identify her own passion – selling makeup for Mary Kay cosmetics and eventually meet the love of her life. She was blessed and she celebrated those blessings openly and often.

One of the people who brought Olivia the most joy and happiness was her husband Leandro “Mike” Quiroga, with whom she shared over 35 years of marriage. Married in 1988, Mike cared for Olivia through the very end, and she never stopped telling him how crazy she was about him despite what Alzheimer’s may have taken from her. The love and memory of her true love remained.

Becoming a mother to Romeo and Jason, her two sons, and watching them marry and grow their families was the greatest source of pride for Olivia. Her love for them, their wives, and her grandchildren was truly endless; the way her face would glow talking about them was uncontrollable.

Olivia believed in beauty from the inside out, and you would never see her without a full face of makeup and a meticulously chosen outfit. Her vivacious personality and love for beauty led her to become a Senior Sales Director for Mary Kay, where she met and influenced many women in her successful career.

Community and worship were also especially important to Olivia; she lived her faith each day and was highly involved in charitable activities. Olivia led multiple ACTS retreats through St. Anthony de Padua and was a loving mentor to so many women. Always selfless, always nurturing, always forgiving, and always being of service to others, Olivia was a true servant leader and changed the lives of many people through simple selfless actions. She had a heart full of love for anyone she came across and offered patience and compassion.

Although we often confused Olivia for a Saint, she was perfectly imperfect in her own ways – she indulged in shopping (Mike built a special closet for her after all), loved a big glass of red wine, fearlessly danced disco moves from her youthful clubbing days, and was unapologetically her outspoken self.

In her time on Earth, she traveled many places, enjoyed her husband’s incredible cooking, danced when people were and weren’t looking, actively cherished the love of her family and friends, and practiced gratitude with every breath she took.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Salvador Garcia Vargas and Henrietta Barrera Vargas, her brother, Armando Vargas, and her in-laws, Leandro and Bertha Quiroga.

She is survived by her siblings; brother Carlos Vargas (Bertha), sister Leticia Wilk (Tadeusz), and sister Patricia Vargas; her children, Romeo Garza (Jessica), and Jason Garza (Christina); stepchildren, Cybil Zuniga (Carlos) and Stephen Quiroga; her grandchildren, Stev Quiroga, Bodhi Garza, and Jason Garza, Jr. Additionally, she leaves behind a large extended family whom she deeply loved and cared for.

Although her physical body is no longer with us, Olivia left her mark on the world and on each person who had the luck of encountering her lively spirit on any given day. She would without a doubt encourage us to smile, find joy, practice gratitude, and to be of service to others, especially in this mournful state we may find ourselves in.

Please join Olivia’s family and community in celebrating her beautiful life at the following services:

An all-day viewing will be held on Sunday, August 18th beginning at 10AM and ending at 9PM at Trevino Funeral Home, located at 226 Cupples Road, San Antonio, Texas 78237. Music and memory sharing will take place from 6PM – 9PM.

Her rosary and funeral service will be held on Monday, August 19th at 11:30AM at St. Anthony de Padua Catholic Church located at 100 Lorenz Road, San Antonio, Texas 78209. Her burial will take place at Fort Sam Houston following the service, located at 1520 Harry Wurzbach, San Antonio, Texas 78209.

The celebration of Olivia’s life will continue with a reception from 3PM – 6PM at St. Anthony de Padua Catholic Church.

We are asking all family and friends attending her services to dress in bright colors to honor Olivia and provide her the beautiful and upbeat send-off she would have designed herself.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Alzheimer’s Association and the Children’s Hunger Fund in Olivia’s memory.