Maria Rodriguez

Maria de Jesus “Nena” Rodriguez passed away peacefully on March 16, 2026, at her home in Golden Palms in Harlingen. She was born on May 23, 1934, in Rio Grande City, Texas, to Maria Teresa and Silverio Saenz, the second of six children.

She was on her senior trip when she met the love of her life at the San Antonio Zoo. Jose H. Rodriguez was in San Antonio at the Air Force Basic Military Training. He was off that weekend and always joked about how he first noticed her next to the monkey exhibits. He approached the chaperone and asked if he and his buddy could walk with Maria and her friends. After buying ice cream cones for all, they started a conversation that would last a lifetime.

They married a couple of years later, on May 4, 1957. She went from living in a small ranching community to living on Air Force bases for the better part of twenty-two years. She was brave as she traveled to California, where Yvonne was born in 1959. Later, they were transferred to Panama, where Marissa was born. Jose went overseas three times on isolated tours. During those deployments, the family went back to the ranch and lived with Grandma Tere and Grandpa Silverio.
Jose retired from the Air Force, and they made their home in La Gloria, Texas, right up the highway from Grandma and Grandpa. They moved to Sharyland, Texas, after Jose’s third retirement, and they enjoyed spending time with their grandchildren. After Jose passed, Maria moved into the Golden Palms Assisted Living Facility, where she resided for four years. She enjoyed socializing with friends and cherished visits from her family. Maria was a woman of faith who taught us to praise Jesus for all our blessings. She was the epitome of style and grace, and she will live in our hearts forever.

She is survived by her two daughters, Yvonne (Michael) Browning and Marissa Perez; her siblings, Nelda Vela, Salome Saenz, and Blas Saenz; and her five granddaughters, Allyson (Jeff) Tatanus, Ashley (Ryan) Ferrelli, Taylor Browning, Callie Browning, and Kathleen (Matthew) Tawil. She also had the great joy of loving her three great-grandchildren, Bryan, Ben, and Andie Tatanus, with another great-grandchild on the way to Kathleen and Matthew Tawil. She is preceded in death by her husband of 63 years, Jose H. Rodriguez, and her parents, Maria Teresa and Silverio Saenz.