Francisca Ochoa Obituary (1932 - 2021)

Francisca "Panchita" Ochoa departed this world and entered the glorious realm of Heaven early Sunday, June 20, 2021, after a lengthy illness. Francisca was born in Morelos, Coahuila Mexico to Eufemio and Rita Galvan on May 11, 1932. Her father enjoyed making people laugh and her mother was known and loved in their neighborhood. Rita had an extraordinary faith and was a devout Catholic, who was often called to pray over the sick to help them heal. Francisca grew up surrounded by faith, family, community, and laughter. She was the first born of two children. She was a dedicated and devoted daughter who began working at an early age to help support her parents and baby brother Jose Alberto. At the young age of 13 she traveled to the United States to live and work with family in San Antonio. This is where she first learned to cook. She would share many years later that this is where she learned how to make stuffing for Thanksgiving. In her later teens she worked on various farms in the U.S. picking fruits and vegetables. In addition, she also worked in a denim textile plant. She talked about the importance of learning how to work with all the machines in the factory. She noticed that people that worked hard and could work with multiple machines were often promoted. As a result, this is the type of work ethic that she strived to accomplish herself and later, instill in her children. At the age of 22 she married Ildefonso Ochoa Sr., who was also from Morelos, and they began raising the large family she always wanted. She was fortunate that her husband, Ildefonso, shared her strong work ethic and together they embarked on a journey that led them to Galveston, Texas where they settled in the late 50's. At that time Galveston was a major port and tourist destination city that provided many employment and business opportunities. Francisca and Ildefonso, partnered with her husband's brother and wife, opened a neighborhood store at 35th and Avenue H. After working together for a few years Francisca and Ildefonso decided to venture out on their own. Their family was growing, and they opened a business known as Apache Tortilla and Tamale Factory on 511 20th St. in 1964. Francisca was blessed with excellent cooking skills and her husband had a keen business sense. Francisca's sense of family and community was a perfect fit for the food service business. She treated all who entered her business as family and got to know them all personally. She especially enjoyed families with children and called all the children her babies. Those "babies" would come back years later with children of their own to eat at the restaurant. Francisca loved her customers, and you would often see her sitting with them engaged in conversation. She would coach the employees to smile and welcome the customers because they had many choices of where to dine, and she appreciated they chose the Apache. She was known to grant any special requests that customers had such as making the salsa extra spicy! She was very proud of her enchilada sauce recipe and the Apache enchiladas would become iconic for generations to come. Francisca enjoyed being involved in the community and loved politics. She was a proud Democrat, strong fund raiser and staunch supporter of the Kennedy and Clinton administrations. It was her love of politics and the freedom to have a voice by voting that motivated her to become a U.S. citizen in 1996 along with her husband. In 2008, her dream came true when she was invited by city officials to meet Bill Clinton in person when he visited Galveston that year. She was a member of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the Fraternal Order of Eagles, and Woodmen of the World (Ladies chapter), where she held several offices including president and treasurer. Francisca felt strongly about helping those in need in her community. As soon as she was made aware of a cause, she would lead a campaign to organize a fundraising event and would begin to gather donations of food, cash, and raffle items. People in the community knew that she was always willing to donate time and money for a good cause and was sought out to organize these events throughout her lifetime. Francisca lived a full and exemplary life, inspiring those around her with her dedication to family, the church, and her community. Education was extremely important, and she was proud that her and her husband's hard work resulted in their five children completing college. They all became independent and successful professionals. She herself realized her life-long dream of going back to school. She finished all the requirements she would need to proceed with the next step, taking the GED. She successfully earned a Certificate of Completion. She adored her grandchildren and loved ALL children. She loved music, especially Mariachi and Trios. In addition, she loved gardening and always had an abundance of rose bushes and other flowering plants along with many fruit trees. Her memory will be cherished by all those whose lives she touched. She was preceded in death by her husband Ildefonso Ochoa and parents Eufemio and Rita Galvan. She is survived by her beloved brother Jose Alberto Galvan, loving children, Anna Ochoa-Olivares, Ildefonso Ochoa Jr. (Angela), Felipe "Philip" Ochoa (Belinda), Yolanda Ochoa-Harris (Jimmy), Veronica Ochoa-Vaughn (Roy), former son-in-law and esteemed friend, Miguel Lopez, grandchildren Stephen Ochoa (Spouse: Lacey), Richard Ochoa, Bryan Olivares, Marian Ochoa, Taylor Thrailkill, Nat Ochoa, Rebecca Lopez, Jackie Gonzalez (Spouse: Aaron), Valerie Jaime (Spouse: Manuel) and great-grandchildren Owen Ochoa, Sophia Ochoa, Kennedy Gonzales, Rhea Thrailkill, Alyssa Jaime, Courtney Jaime, Mia Jaime and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. The family wishes to thank the staff of Six Palms in Manvel, TX where Francisca spent the last four years of her life in loving care. We would like to extend special thanks to Latasha Kerr and Christy Maldonado. In addition to the option of flowers, donations may be made in her name to the Alzheimer's Association. Services are as follows: Sunday June 27, 2021 @ Carnes Funeral Home, 3100 Gulf Freeway, Texas City, TX 77591 1:00 - 1:30 p.m. Private visitation for immediate family 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. Visitation for extended family and friends 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. Rosary (All parties) Monday June 28, 2021 at St. Mary's Catholic Church, 1612 E. Walker St. League City, TX 77573 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. - Mass with Father John Rooney officiating Interment immediately following at Mt. Olivet Catholic Cemetery - 7801 Gulf Frwy. Dickinson, TX 77539