August 3, 2022 552 PM
On Tuesday, June 14, 2022, Minerva Morales Quintela passed away in Dallas, Texas, at the age of 68. She was born on May 17, 1954, in Marfa, Texas, as the eighth and youngest child to parents Francisco and Trinidad Morales.
In the early 1970s, Minerva went into the Job Corps, earning a Merchant Marine certification and worked as a steward on cruise ships in California. Thereafter, she did construction work in New Mexico and in South Texas. It wasn’t until the mid 1990s that Minerva settled back in her hometown of Marfa to help care for her mother, Trine, during which time she worked for the Presidio County Sheriff’s Department before transitioning over to the historic Paisano Hotel until she retired in 2019.
Minerva is preceded in death by her parents, Chico and Trine Morales; brother Joe Henry Samaniego; and sister Martha Morales. She is survived by her brothers Roger (Delia) Garcia and Joe (Mary) Morales; her sisters Betty Bentley, Abby Morales and Florel (Frank) Skinner; children Becky (Bryan) Johnson, Eddie (Loni) Quintela, and Dee Dee (David) Quintela; grandchildren Mariah, Diego, Damien, Dylan and Delilah. Minerva was also deeply loved by innumerable other family and friends across the country. She was always willing to help a friend, neighbor or tourist and will be greatly missed.
Minerva’s motto in life was: “Do good with what you have, humility and humor, enjoy life.” Even after being diagnosed with metastatic leiomyosarcoma cancer, she remained optimistic and in good spirits. A Celebration of Life is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Saturday, August 6, 2022, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church Parish Hall located at 211 W. San Antonio St. in Marfa, Texas.
