Eva Mendoza was born December 16, 1947 and passed away peacefully in her sleep on the morning of September 28, 2020. She is preceded in death by her parents, Luis and Estela Mercado, sister Emma Ramos and her loving son Michael Mendoza. She is survived by her "Tall, Dark, and Handsome" husband, Ruben Mendoza Sr., daughter Janet Mendoza Clakley, sons Ruben Mendoza Jr., Daniel Mendoza, grandchildren, Travis Clakley, Kayla Zambrano (SSG Frank Zambrano), Michael Mendoza and great-grandchildren Antonio & Natalia Zambrano and Samuel Mendoza. Additional family members include her brother, Luis Mercado Jr., sisters Edna Quintero (Jesse), Elsa Sauceda (Armando), Elva De Los Santos (Rogelio), Brother in laws, Robert Mendoza (Alma), and Roland Mendoza, and numerous nieces & nephews including Ann & Zachary Brown, Jesse & Allisan Quintero, Beverly Herrera, Angela De Los Santos, Adam Rodriguez, Cathy Almaguer, David Almaguer, Roger Andrew Fuentes, Christina & Theodore Fitzgerald, Dorothy and Mike Guzman, Debra Ramos, Christine & Rebecca Rodriguez, Brandy Rodriguez, Jessica & Gabriel Sanchez, Rachel Bigalow (Tom), Robert Mendoza Jr, Sandra Mendoza Morris (Frank), Laura Mullin Mendoza (Joyce), Leroy Mendoza, Ralph Mendoza (Zelda), Anna Mendoza, Adam Mendoza (Cynthia), and numerous great nieces and nephews.

Eva loved the many things life had to offer. For one, she adored being next to her honey (Ruben Mendoza) of 56 years. She once called in to the radio station for a segment about marriage. They wanted to know how long you and your spouse had been together; and to much of her surprise, she got in. Once her recording aired, she could not stop smiling knowing her voice was heard all around San Antonio & how she got to share the love she had for her husband, Ruben. She was a wise woman and told many of us the secret to a long-lasting and happy marriage. Never go to bed angry at one another and to always compromise. But above all she was a great role model of what a real woman, wife, mother, and grandmother should be. The word selfless, would be an understatement to her character. Her family and friends were always her top priority. She would go above and beyond to help others in need even if it meant would calling upon her little minions (clan of kids and grandkids) to do all the heavy lifting. She was always a call away even if it were for just a nice conversation.

There are so many other fun-loving memories we have of her. There was a special Christmas tree chopping, the Mexico margarita trip, Easter get togethers, fun beer runs, and the infamous cake toss just to mention a few. But how could we forget her love for the Sin City, Las Vegas. There was something about the thrill of winning, the machines going off, and being surrounded by sparkly lights that excited her.

Besides being a down to earth person, Eva was an amazing chef in the kitchen and the best cook in our family. I can favorably argue she made the BEST menudo, Sunday morning porkchops, and potato salad (sorry Aunts). Although, being a very giving person, there is one thing she refused to give up sharing: her candy.

Eva wanted the best for everyone, and her intentions were always pure. She always felt that family was the greatest blessing in life and wanted all of us to continue having family gatherings together. We need to keep her memories alive and remember to live life to the fullest each day. We will always love her and miss her dearly, but we know our guardian angel is watching over us from heaven.