Julia Rose Sanmiguel Obituary

Julia Rose San Miguel, age 68, loving mother, sister, grandmother and great-grandmother, entered into rest on November 19, 2023, in San Antonio, Texas.

To know Julia San Miguel is to know one funny girl.

No matter the situation, the celebration or even dire circumstance, Julie, as she was known to everyone, found a bright spot that resulted in laughter — a moment of cheerfulness with a story, a joke, or the recollection of a trivial, silly memory that lightened the mood.

Even as she battled the debilitating neuropathy that invaded her body, among other maladies that prompted relentless pain, Julie found brief moments of wit and humor when the hurt subsided or was momentarily mined.

She fought hard to the end of her life that ended the morning of Nov. 19, 2023 in her Southside home on a wet and muggy San Antonio day on the very street her childhood blossomed.

So, it's no wonder that she played hard throughout her life, enjoying her 68 trips around the sun, taking us along on her ride, whenever possible, if even vicariously, never allowing her shoulder-strapped oxygen tanks or weight or other health woes keep her from appreciating the present.

In person, she was the life of the party at family parties with her audacious and big personality.

From childhood to adulthood, she loved to play board games and cards — and if winning money was involved, even if it was pennies, all the better.

She was competitive.

Whether it was Yahtzee or UNO, dominoes or 10, 000, Texas Hold 'Em or Scrabble, Julie was in it to win it, even if it meant cheating. (Hey Julie, are those extra cards you're hiding under your hand?!?).

Her favorite TV game show was "The Price is Right" and she was ecstatic when she attended the live show at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts and won a photo op — "Come on Down, Julia San Miguel!" — you're our next contestant to spin the Big Wheel.

Along with her bestie, Raul Garza, she also was a television fan of Friday night wrestling and even named a family cat after the Smackdown Irish professional wrestler, Sheamus.

Julie attended Graebner Elementary, Lowell Middle School where she joined the Girl Scouts and graduated from Burbank High, home of the Mighty Bulldogs, in 1973. It was during her high school years that her brother, Michael and her sisters, Linda and Becky, and all the neighborhood kids created a talent group and performed dance and comedy routines to entertain parents and neighbors who settled into the Quintanilla backyard with lawn chairs.

The troupe pantomimed to records played from Michael's juke box. One of Julie's favorites was a comedy routine to Jean Knight's 1971 song, "Mr. Big Stuff" that she shared the stage with neighbor Eleanor, while dancing and pushing Michael from side to side in a humorous routine: "Mr. Big Stuff Who do you think you are? Mr. Big Stuff You're never gonna get my love!". Julie brought the house down with her comedic dancing and funny faces.

Julie attended San Antonio College and became a substitute teacher with the Harlandale Independent School District.

She soon was a regular — and favorite — at Leal Middle School where one day she surprised her own daughter, also named Julie and known by family members as "Little Julie," by showing up as the teacher for the day.

Little Julie recalled that her mother had not told her she was to be her teacher on that day and was so stunned when her mom walked into the classroom that she had no choice but to complete all her work and kept her mouth shut in class.

Julie always looked forward to her road trips with her siblings and mother.

While on a family getaway to Lucky Eagle Kickapoo, a casino in Eagle Pass, Julie had everyone in stitches when she was on a slot mania streak, hitting it big — like really big on her favorite slot machines: Build-a-Burger, Wonder Woman, Loteria and Michael Jackson.

Sadly, Julie had to head home with her siblings. Game over! On the way out of the casino, she playfully grabbed the casino's door handles and wouldn't let go. Casino guests — and security — hysterically laughed at Julie's antics and the laughter grew louder when her brother and sisters — all in wholesome fun and playing into Julie's impromptu prank — began to pry her fingers off the handles. "But I want to stay!". Julie lamented while laughing. We all were laughing. "I want to stay!".

In the kitchen Julie was a baking whiz. Her specialty was her pineapple upside-down cake with extra cherries, additional brown sugar, and layers of pineapples. The result was a confection of bubbling, gurgling goodness with a crunchiest top of the crunchiest brown sugar over a soft dense cake.

But her Pico de Gallo was her most requested authentic homemade recipe made extra special and tasty by mixing in bits of chunky avocado.

It was so mouthwatering appetizing that everyone wanted more and fought over it — even hid it from each other at backyard barbecues so they could take it home.

Julie's favorite role was that of mother to her daughter, Julie and son, Lorenzo, and later a grandmother to nine children and a great grandmother to ten more kids. What was most important to her were family visits and get-togethers to observe birthdays, baby showers, graduations, and the holidays.

She enjoyed weekends at a family cabin along the Frio River with Linda and extended family members enjoying each other's company and conversation and a late night of cards and scrabble.

Often, Julie and Ma would take memorable Greyhound trips to Las Vegas where they would vacation for at least three weeks, bouncing back and forth from hotel to hotel on Ma's casino comps in downtown Vegas, their favorite haunt: four days at the Golden Nugget, two days at the Cortez, four days at the Plaza, four days at the Four Queens, four days the Golden Gate and back to the Nugget for the final three days.

While in Vegas, Julie and Ma were like episodes of Lucy and Ethel, gambling all night long because they believed that the slots were extra loose after the stroke of midnight — and so were the drinks.

So, they slept during the day for at least 40 minutes, showered for 10, and in another 10 minutes ate the comp shrimp cocktails and steak and eggs. Do the math: This amounted to a one-hour frenzy pick-me-up. And just enough time to re-energize and refresh "Ma Bling" and "Bejeweled Julie," nicknames given to them by casino floor managers because they were so beloved by them and their antics.

Before their 34-hour bus ride home from Vegas to San Antonio, Ma would remind Julie to save money for food stops.

As the Greyhound pulled into McDonald's in Fort Stockton, not far from El Paso, Julie remained on the bus. Ma later said Julie blew all her money in Vegas, didn't even save enough for a small order of French fries. But Julie didn't go hungry. And she wasn't sad. Ma bought her a happy meal. And she remained happy until she had to pay back Ma.

And now Julie and Ma will be reunited again when Julie is buried next to Ma on Nov. 28 in the family plot.

Julia Rose San Miguel was born Sept. 23, 1955, in San Antonio, Texas.

She is preceded in death by her mother, Elida V. Quintanilla.

She is survived by daughter Julia Quintanilla Rivera (husband, Mariano Rivera); son, Lorenzo Quintanilla (wife, Mary Lou Hernandez); brother, Michael Quintanilla; sisters, Linda Q. Verduzco (husband, Jesse Verduzco) and Rebecca Quintanilla (husband, David Wenske).

She is also survived by her longtime companion, Raul A. Garza; 9 grandchildren, and 10 great grandchildren.

Visitation will be Mon., Nov. 27, 2023, at Palm Heights Mortuary, 3711 S. Zarzamora St. at the W. Malone intersection, (210-924-4568), from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Rosary will be recited at 6 p.m. Preceding the Rosary, renowned harpist Juan Cabrera will play his harp "Juancito" from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

On Tues., Nov. 28, 2023, family and friends will gather in the Palm Heights Chapel, 3711 S. Zarzamora St. at the W. Malone intersection, (210-924-4568) for a chapel service at 11 a.m.. Burial will follow at San Jose Burial Park.

Julie was loved by all and will be deeply missed.

PALM HEIGHTS MORTUARY, 3711 S. ZARZAMORA STREET, SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS 78225, 210-924-4568.