Criselda Flores Villalon

Cris was born on September 1, 1948 in Mission, Texas, being the third of four children of Candelario Flores and Hilaria Sandoval Flores, both now deceased. The other children of Candelario and Hilaria, Candelario (Lalo) Flores, Jr., Maria Estela (Nena) Cipriano and Arturo Flores all survive her. She is also survived by a half-sister, Lucy Suarez.

Cris attended public schools in Monte Alto and Edcouch, Texas where she excelled academically, graduating near the top of her high school class in 1967. She then attended Pan American University for one year before her marriage to me on August 29, 1968 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Elsa, Texas. While I have absolutely no doubt that she would have had a stellar career in her chosen field of mathematics, she chose instead to devote her life to our marriage and the children that would come from that marriage. We were blessed with five children, Christine, Prisila Ann (married to Shane Foss), Aaron Antonio (married to Anahi Cantu), Michael Andrew (betrothed to Colleen Keehn), and Bryan Alexander (married to Ashley Towne), all of whom survive her. We also have five wonderful grandchildren, Ryan Taylor, Isabelle Ann, Marcello Antonio, Diego Andres and Ariana Ines.

In all my years of being blessed with knowing and loving Cris, the one quality about her that struck me most was how she so instinctively took to motherhood, selflessly loving, caring for and nurturing our children at all hours of the day and night. There she was, just two years out of high school when Christine was born, yet she seemed to have a sense about knowing not only when Christine was sick but also what to do about it. So many times, I would awaken in the middle of the night to find that she was rocking and comforting her because of something as simple as cholic or as serious as a high fever or vomiting. I saw this scene played over and over again with each of our children, but I never ceased to be amazed by what I was seeing.

As the years passed and the needs of our children changed, so did the things she did for them. Most notable were the Halloween costumes she would lovingly design and make for them and the countless birthday cakes she decorated with the image of whatever comic book character or television hero had captured his or her attention. The special birthday cakes became a tradition that carried over to our grandchildren.

Our spiritual home for the last twenty-one years has been St. Laurence Parish where Cris was a Eucharistic Minister and a Greeter. She greatly enjoyed being part of the hospitality ministry, greeting our fellow parishioners as they arrived for Sunday Mass.

While I choose to tout her qualities as a mother, I do not want to overlook her commitment to me and our marriage, always willing to please me or doing what was necessary for our mutual good. I have been blessed without measure that I could be a part of her life. Our children and I miss her.

Jose Antonio Villalon, husband to the radiant and beautiful Criselda Flores Villalon

In the lieu of flowers the family requests donation to your local food bank or The Houston Food Bank.