Belia Servantes

“Querer es Poder”

Belia Luna Servantes, July 24, 1927 - November 30, 2021
The Servantes family of Uvalde, Texas announces the passing of Belia Luna Servantes on November 30, 2021, just a few weeks after the passing of her beloved husband.
Lovingly called “Betty” by family and friends, she was born on July 24, 1927 in Uvalde.
She married her husband José “Joe” Servantes on July 27, 1947 and the two were rarely separated after that day. Together, they had four
children - José “Joe” Servantes, Jr., Hector Servantes, Sr., Ida Servantes, and Ernest Servantes, Sr.
In addition to her children, Betty is survived by ten grandchildren, twenty great-grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren.
Throughout her entire life, Betty expressed her love by cooking and caring for others. Her kitchen was always bustling with activity - making chocolate or red velvet cakes, enchiladas, or her famous tamales. To watch Betty in the kitchen was to watch a gifted cook at work. She rarely measured or followed recipes - she just knew by smell or texture or taste - and Betty’s food always hit the mark.
Friends and family never went home from Betty’s house with an empty stomach.
As a child, she was pulled from school at an early age to care for family, but Betty often said that she never stopped learning, even after leaving school, because she was a student of the world and of people. She learned so much from the various jobs she held as a young woman that later in life she was
able to blend those skills with her love of cooking to open her own successful business, called Betty’s Tamales. Longtime Uvalde residents will recall the little yellow building near the football stadium that cranked out dozens upon dozens of warm, flavorful tamales lovingly prepared by Betty and her husband Joe.
In addition to her delicious food, Betty was known for her generous heart and giving nature. She never hesitated to help those in need of advice, financial assistance, or fostering a good connection.
Over the years Betty’s hands not only stayed busy in the kitchen, but they also nursed and cared for countless relatives and friends during times of illness. Despite not finishing school herself, Betty greatly valued education and did everything she could to ensure that those who wanted an education could get
one. Her four children all hold university degrees, as do many of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and their graduation photos were proudly displayed in Betty’s home. Betty was known to give financial support if someone was struggling to cover the costs of school, and all she asked
in return was that they give it their all in school, or in her words, “¡Échale ganas!”
Betty held tightly to her Catholic faith throughout her lifetime, and she held a special devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe. She kept a candle of Our Lady burning from the day her son Hector left for the
Vietnam War to the day of her passing. A firm believer in the power of prayer, a rosary was always somewhere near Betty’s side as she faithfully prayed for the needs of others.
Though deeply saddened by this loss, the Servantes family takes comfort in knowing that Betty is once again dancing with her sweetheart Joe and that together they are watching over the family.
The visitation will be held at Rushing-Estes-Knowles Mortuary in Uvalde on December 9, 2021 starting at 12:00 PM, and a rosary service will be held there at 7:00 PM that same evening. The funeral service will be at 10:00 AM on Friday, December 10, 2021 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church.