Hannah Laura (Sax) Ortiz Obituary
Hannah Laura Ortiz, mother, grandmother, sister, and wife, passed away peacefully early morning December 8th in Cypress, TX, after a long battle with COPD at the age of 82.
She was preceded in death by her loving husband Naval Antonio (Tony) Ortiz, her parents Jacob and Marie Sax, and her brother Norman Sax. She is survived by her four children: Lance (& Linda) Ortiz of Tallahassee, Laurence (& Norma) Ortiz of El Paso, Cheryl (& James) Trimbach of Alexandria (VA), and Charlene Ortiz of Cypress, and nine grandchildren: Nikki White and Jacqui & Lexi Trimbach; Danielle & Eli Ortiz; Journey Ortiz and Jaeger Rasmussen; and Anthony & Nicholas Ortiz. Laura was also very close to her Godchild, Regina Garceau, of Houston.
Laura, as she preferred to be called, was born November 4, 1939, in New York City. She grew up mainly in the Bronx; Laura left the Big Apple for good in 1961 when her husband Tony joined the U.S. Marine Corps. After brief duty stations in Virginia and North Carolina, she accompanied Tony to various Marine Corps bases across the U.S. at which they stayed considerably longer: Twenty-nine Palms, CA, where three of their four children were born; Kaneohe, Hawaii, where their youngest was born; and then back to North Carolina (Cherry Point). During those years, in addition to raising a family (and did that by herself for two years while hubby Tony was serving overseas), Laura passed the time by volunteering for the Navy Relief Society and helping out as a Cub Scout "den mother". She also used this time to hone her crafting skills in oil-painting, ceramics, decoupage, sewing, and crochet. Mostly self-taught, she became quite the artist and creator.
Laura's husband's second career as an FBI agent led them to Texas (San Antonio first, followed by McAllen), San Juan (Puerto Rico), and finally to Olathe, Kansas. During that time, her craft interests shifted to quilting and collecting (and making her own) stuffed animals, especially Teddy bears! Also during that time, Laura decided to try selling Mary Kay cosmetics, which definitely fit into her desire to always be "glammed up" (the less she sold, the more she had for herself?!) While living in Puerto Rico, she so graciously brought along her husband and all four children, individually, to Caribbean cruise ships on which she taught Arts & Crafts. After Tony's sudden passing in 1989 and with all the kids already having graduated from high school, Laura settled in Cypress, TX, to be close to her two daughters there. She never remarried.
Laura's many interests included watching Soap Operas and in her final years, the Game Show Network, anything Wizard of Oz, collecting (cookie jars, spoons, decks of cards, cookbooks, lunch boxes, Beanie Babies, among other things), baking cookies (especially her famous chocolate chip), cooking (Italian, Mexican and Puerto Rican were her specialties), listening to music (back when only vinyl records were available), watching movies (especially on the "Big Screen"), Americana, all things frogs, all things Disney, conservative talk radio, reading both fiction and non-fiction books, attending bunco parties, baseball (specifically the Cubs, the Royals, and later the Astros), and SHOPPING. She was not into personal fitness, but she did try her hand at bowling and tennis. Laura loved knishes and bagels which reminded her of her native NYC. She always had a zest for life, was always a family-first kind of mother, and especially loved having all the grandchildren come to her "stuffed" house!
Laura, or "Hannelore" as her parents and husband would call her, will be sorely missed by her entire family, all her Teddy bears, and her small band of quilting friends she enjoyed meeting with over the past 30 years.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the American Lung Association. Funeral Mass will be held at Christ the Redeemer Church (11507 Huffmeister Road, Houston) at 11am on Friday, January 28, 2022. A Celebration of Life Reception will immediately follow the mass at the same location.
