Maria Magdalena Carrillo, our beautiful wife, mother, sister, aunt, and friend was called Home on January 26, 2024, after a lengthy battle with lung disease and complications from a double lung transplant.

Born on July 21, 1953 in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico to Manuel Pérez López & Juana Grimaldo López, Maria and her family immigrated to San Antonio when she was three years old.  A woman completely devoted to family, Maria always put everyone she loved first, supporting her husband and children through their pursuit of higher education, she was their anchor and guide.  She was always our biggest cheerleader and encouraged us to pursue our happiness.  As the family matriarch, her heart and home were always open to everyone, but she was never afraid to put you in your place if you crossed her!  She had a tremendous sense of style, always polished and always on point. Never a smoker and hardly a drinker, Maria was high on life. She had a wonderful sense of humor, could always laugh at herself and always saw the positive in people or situations (until she couldn't!). She could dance circles around anyone and only her siblings could keep up. Road trips to New Mexico, fishing at the coast and any reason to celebrate and entertain at home were some of her favorite things to do.  In recent years she became more active in fundraising and volunteering in causes close to her heart and even with her illness progressing, she never let it stop her from helping others when she could.

She leaves behind a very strong legacy of family and faith.  As the eldest sibling, she made it her mission to keep the family connected as much as possible.  And her chosen family, the network of friends she created was a deep and unbreakable bond.  There aren't enough words to describe the impact she had on this earth and the lives she touched. She will be missed beyond measure.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Manuel & Juana López and infant brother Victor Manuel López. She is survived by the love of her life, her devoted husband Richard, children Vickie (Paul) Castillo, Jacob (Tessa) Carrillo, Christine (John) Garza, fur baby Ammo and a zoo of grand fur babies. She is also survived by sisters Sonia López and Rosa (Ramon) Balderas, brothers Cecilio (Pat) López, Juan (Linda) López, Miguel López, numerous nieces, nephews and godchildren, and a host of many, many friends from all seasons of her life.

The family wishes to thank her medical team at the UHS Transplant Center for their care and guidance throughout our journey, specifically Dr. Lara Jones who held us together through our darkest days. We also want to extend our deepest appreciation to the ICU nurses and staff that cared for her and supported us during our months long stay in the ICU.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests you make a donation in her honor to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation.