Florinda Zamudio
June 20th, 1930 – March 14th, 2026
Florinda Zamudio (née Gonzalez) passed away peacefully at home on March 14th, 2026 at the age of 95. She was born in Mission, Texas on June 20th, 1930.
Florinda was predeceased by her parents Lorenzo Saucedo & Maria Juana Guitierrez; siblings Mary Lou Gonzalez Barrera, Alicia Gonzalez Woods, Regimo (Benigno) Cavazos, Lorenzo Cavazos Gonzalez, Marcelino Gonzalez, Alvino Cavazos Gonzalez, Servanda Vesquez Barrera; daughter, Norma Zamudio Cortez; son, Joe Zamudio; grandson Addison M. Zamudio.
She will be lovingly remembered by her children Irma (Donald) Vrabel, Olga (Harley) Lightle, David (Joanne) Zamudio, Alvin (Margaret) Zamudio, & Laura Hood, along with 19 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandson.
Florinda moved to St. Louis after she married Jose J. Zamudio in 1950. They got involved in the Mexican Society performing in fiestas singing and dancing along with her children. She always sang while cooking and making tortillas for friends and neighbors. She worked in various restaurants in her early years. She loved going to Texas to see family when she was able but her pride was spending time with her grandchildren and family above all else. She also became known as “Mama Taco” in Hope Church’s nursery. She loved the Lord and became one of His biggest prayer warriors, taking up her sword daily.
Beautifully written and very beautiful! Thank you guys for working on so much! Mom taught us well, how to love each other & take care of each other! Mucho, mucho, mucho love!!💜💜💜💜
Miss you Mom and am ever so grateful we patched things up years ago!
I know you are enjoying eternity!!
Your prayers will be missed but we will continue them!!💕😘❤️
Reading this tribute to your Mom my Best Tia ever brought tears to my eyes. She was always so giving of herself and she taught me how to make the best tamales. I did not know her history thank you for such a well written story of such a christian warrior. She will be missed
Reading this tribute to your Mom my Best Tia ever brought tears to my eyes. She was always so giving of herself and she taught me how to make the best tamales. I did not know her history thank you for such a well written story of such a christian warrior. She will be missed
My Tia/Madrina was always in my life since way back when I can remember. She helped me pick up the pieces when my mom died at a very young age. I was so happy that I had a second mom who was there for me . Tia gave me her love and support. My heart is broken, I have now lost my second mom. Be happy madrina in heaven and tell my mom I l love her.
My Tia/Madrina was always in my life since way back when I can remember. She helped me pick up the pieces when my mom died at a very young age. I was so happy that I had a second mom who was there for me . Tia gave me her love and support. My heart is broken, I have now lost my second mom. Be happy madrina in heaven and tell my mom I love her
Thank you for giving me many years of being my Mama Taco since I lost my mom so early. Thank you also for having such a beautiful and loving children, Irma, Olga, Joe, Norma, David, Alvin and Laura. I always felt part of your family, your other daughter! I will miss you, but will see you again Mama Taco💔
I will miss you greatly Grandma, thank you for giving us all life, our culture, and the love of cooking and plants and music, they were all instilled deep within me. You gave me a personal tamale class that I will forever cherish. I will miss your cookyness, your stubbornness, your mispronounced words lol, telling us ‘you had a feeling lol, your beans, your messy apartment heehee, naming your plants after us, your memories and stories, calling at the most inconvenient times like when i would be taking a caca or in the shower lol, but most of all I will just miss you. I’m so happy you get to visit and laugh with all of the loved ones you have lost, I know you are enjoying that the most! It’s not goodbye for me but, I will see you when I get to the spirit world ok! I’ll end this with how you always got off the phone, ok love you bye. lol
I forgot one more thing, getting birthday money from you in weird things like socks hahaha, love you grandma 🙂
Oh Graham Cracker! I will miss hearing you call me Veinte Cucharas. Since I was little you called me 20 spoons and I still don’t really know why but that is what’s funny. I asked many times and got a different story every time. Haha. Julia said it all best and I will miss all of those things too. There are also many memories that are embedded deep within me too and I can remember them in an instant and think of them often. Even when you were still here.
My most cherishes memories will be from when we spent a lot of our childhood with you babysitting us. Either at your apartment or at our house and even at other peoples houses. You babysat a lot of kids. lol. I’ll always remember walking everywhere with you because you didn’t drive. So you’d tell us to get the “Chevy” and come on! The Chevy was the little cart on 2 wheels that we’d fill up with our groceries from the store.
I remember cooking with you at your apartment and making piñatas out of paper bags and tissue paper! And falling asleep on the couch to the sound of the Spanish channel or to Cheers or the Carol Burnette show.
Most of all I will miss making you laugh and even though it annoyed me sometimes when you’d call to tell me about people I didn’t know I still miss it. You are the only Grandparent I had who ever called me to talk. You are the one I was closest to. Thank you Grandma for everything you did for us and for your unending love. See you again Baggy Pants! Love, Veinte Cucharas 💜
We endured the consequences of the divorce together, you, Alvin, and I. Being separated from the rest of the family for years was painful and heartbreaking, but we survived thanks to your love. You took good care of Alvin and I during that time, and I am forever grateful. I was 12 going on 13, and Alvin was just a toddler when we said goodbye to our dad, sisters, and brother as we headed for Texas to live with another family.
Your strength as a mother is a testament to all mothers who give their lives for their children’s sake. Teaching, correcting, laughing, and loving as best as they can. Your great love continued years after as your children married and had children of their own. All of us know how much food and money you shared with us all as we needed help from time to time. You were always there for us, and I am grateful that Joanne and I got to have you at our home before your appointed time to leave for Glory.
Thank you, Mom, for it all. You are tough as nails with a soft heart and a great example of Jesus that I will ever know. Thank you, and Via con Dios. I love you forever.
Mom, you gave me a new name the very first time I met you over 30 years ago. David introduced us in your apartment “Mom, this is my girlfriend Joanne”. You looked at me and said I will call you Jojanna. I’m still not quite sure how to spell that. What could I say but “ok”. And that is what your name was for me ever since.
So many memories with you, shopping every where in one day, doing your bills, grabbing a hamburger somewhere, there are so many times. Long John Silvers, standing in line, the guy in front of us wasn’t moving despite a lot of throat clearing and “excuse me please “. He just would not move. I saw him jump a little and move quickly as you turned to me and said (not quietly) Jojanna! I touched his butt! I laughed so hard!
Seeing you, spending time with you made me smile and feel happy. Thank you for taking me into your heart, for David, your family and being my Momma. I love you and miss you. It was my privilege to care for you at the end of your time here with us. Until we meet again, love Johanna.
Grandma – I can’t yet fully grasp the idea that you’re gone, but in reality you’ll never really truly ever be ‘gone’. Your example in life and your love – even through hardships and struggle – is your legacy that remains in all of us.
Your selfless, tough but funny example shined brightly for all of us. We got to see the importance of family, fun and even the realities of life navigated with grace:)
I miss you, I love you and I’m glad we were all lucky enough to experience it all💕
P.S. I found a Mexican restaurant down here in Dallas and their menudo reminds me of yours – their tortillas don’t even come close to yours though, lol ❤️
It’s been one whole week since you’ve been gone Mom, it’s just now really hitting me, you taught me to keep busy, to have a good work ethic, to love my family even through the hard times. You were such a hard worker, did I ever tell you how proud I was of you? I’m sending you a message , I’ve got Gods Radar, remember ? Job well done Mom, can’t believe what you endured through your long life, but one thing I learned from you is to always smile, so thank you Mom! I love you, your first Mothers Day Gift!!! (Remember 2/3rds!💜)
P.S. Osito is keeping me company, taking care of him for you Mom!
My Tia Florinda since I was young girl I believed you were my tia. And there was also Tia Agrora. I loved to visit Tia Agrora to eat her food she was always cooking. And not knowing how you were my tias I just believed you were. But I loved going to your home to visit because you had the best family and so many children. And they turned out to be beautiful human beings. But you were who I loved the most in your family. Why? Well you knew how to have fun You sang, you played the accordion like no one I ever knew, you cooked, you drank your beer and your laugh was so contagious. You knew how to live life. And lots of times Olga and Irma who my mom thought I was.wait ing for because lots of times they were out I was ok with that because I loved just spending time with you. I am so sad I will not see you again I love you.You are with my mom and dad. You are no longer humans , you are angels and I can’t wait to see you or reunite with all of you. I have faith that there is a heaven so till we meet again. I know you
will be looking out for all our families. And now you and dad can enjoy a beer and it might surprise you but mom after living with me might have a beer too, a Heineken, and the beauty of it all no one has to drive. And if you see tío Chewy give him a hug. I love you so much and I will miss you and what you leave me with is with all the ups and downs,
Here it is “Girls just want to have Fun”.
Love you
Ida (a fan)
My Tia Florinda since I was young girl I believed you were my tia. And there was also Tia Agrora. I loved to visit Tia Agrora to eat her food she was always cooking. And not knowing how you were my tias I just believed you were. But I loved going to your home to visit because you had the best family and so many children. And they turned out to be beautiful human beings. But you were who I loved the most in your family. Why? Well you knew how to have fun You sang, you played the accordion like no one I ever knew, you cooked, you drank your beer and your laugh was so contagious. You knew how to live life. And lots of times Olga and Irma who my mom thought I was.wait ing for because lots of times they were out I was ok with that because I loved just spending time with you. I am so sad I will not see you again I love you.You are with my mom and dad. You are no longer humans , you are angels and I can’t wait to see you or reunite with all of you. I have faith that there is a heaven so till we meet again. I know you
will be looking out for all our families. And now you and dad can enjoy a beer and it might surprise you but mom after living with me might have a beer too, a Heineken, and the beauty of it all no one has to drive. And if you see tío Chewy give him a hug. I love you so much and I will miss you and what you leave me with is with all the ups and downs,
Here it is “Girls just want to have Fun”.
Love you
Ida (a fan)