Josefina "Josie" Guerra was born on February 7, 1945 and entered heaven on August 13, 2021.   She is preceded in death by her parents, Romeo and Alicia Gonzalez Guerra.  Josie was the eldest of four sisters and is survived by Angela Trevino (Jim), Susan Kunschik, and Chris Edwards.  She is also survived by a nephew and godson, Jimmy Trevino, niece Leslie Eisenman, grand nieces Lydia Colon, Susie Pizarro and grand nephew, Haroon Pizarro.

Josie graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School, San Antonio, and thereafter worked for a floral shop as an apprentice florist.  She loved the beauty of flowers and had a wonderful creative imagination for floral arrangement.  Josie decided to pursue a job opportunity with USAA and was hired for a position in the company's mail operations department.  Josie loved her job and stayed in the same department until her retirement – a career that spanned 35 years.

Josie had a love for baseball.  She played catcher in a softball league at USAA.  She loved watching major league baseball games on television, even if they were replays of a game already played.  She was also an ardent fan of the San Antonio Spurs basketball team.  She was known to put on Spurs marketing apparel (slippers, scarf, jersey and sunglasses) and always had her miniature Spurs coyote mascot at her side.   At the start of each season, Josie had to have a printed copy of the team schedule so she could write the final score of each Spurs game. Another passion that Josie loved was being a member of a hot air balloon ground crew.  She and other friends frequently went to the famous Albuquerque, New Mexico Balloon Fest.  She didn't just attend the Fest as a spectator, she helped launch balloons.

Josie had many interests, one of which was pets.  She gave them unusual names:  JoJo, Deadbolt, Skye, Duchess, Blue, Pepe, and Lily.   Another interest she had was a fascination with the British Royals, in particular, the abdication of King Edward, Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana.  No wonder Josie also loved the color of royalty – purple and it was her birthstone (amethyst) color as well.  Josie was an avid reader of novels on her Kindle.  She was proud of reading over 200 books.

In 2007, Josie moved to Canyon Lake to live with her sister, Angie and brother-in-law, Jim.  Josie loved being close to the lake and enjoyed the immense beauty of the wildlife and vegetation that graced Canyon Lake.  She soon joined the Bulverde Senior Center and made numerous friends who enjoyed activities such as Canasta, Mah Jongg, Bunco and Bingo.  She hardly missed a day driving to the Center in her beloved Toyota Rav4.

Josie spent her retirement years with friends and family.  Josie was a strong woman of faith whose devotion to God arose above all of her other interests.  She attended Mass every Sunday, became a member of the parish's Guadalupanos Society, and prayed her rosary daily.  Nothing came between Josie and her devotion to her Catholic faith.  Her lifelong desire to go to the Vatican was achieved in 2017 when she traveled to Italy and prayed in the main chapel of St. Peter's Basilica.

Josie had many medical challenges during her lifetime that prevented her from doing many physical things people generally take for granted.  She never complained about her ailments and bravely fought to overcome them.  The family is grateful to the following physicians who treated Josie while living at Canyon Lake:  Drs. Penagaluru, Andrews, Hernandez, Okorodudu/Hendrix, Rubalcava, and Vreeke.  Forgive us if we inadvertently failed to acknowledge a physician who was an important part of Josie's care team.

Josie is now resting among all the angels in heaven.  She will be forever loved by her friends and most of all, her family.  A Memorial Mass will be held at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, 180 St. Thomas Dr, Canyon Lake, Texas on Tuesday, August 17, 2021 at 10:00 a.m.  A rosary will precede the Mass at 9:30 a.m.  She will have a private burial at San Fernando Cemetery, San Antonio, Texas.

" God will redeem my life from the grave; He will surely take me to himself"  Psalms 49:15

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