Dora Mcneely

Dora Lopez (McNeely) was born on May 11, 1927, in a small river-delta town in far South Texas named McAllen, to a pioneering family. Her parents were Donato Lopez Guerra (1891-1955) and her mother was Agapita Guerra Martinez (1898-1984). Her parents were distantly related. She was the fifth of six children and the only daughter to survive infancy. She had two older brothers; Ramon and Santos Coy and a younger brother, Donato Jr., who died at age six. She was the first of her siblings to be born in a hospital.and outlived all her family. She was the apple of her Father's eye who was quoted to have said, that "a family without a daughter was like a garden without flowers." Dora and her borther Santos Coy, were highly intelligent and gifted students. Dora was the first Hispanic Salutatorian of McAllen High School. She graduated from high school in 1945 with highest honors "Suma Cum Laude".towards the end of WW II. While in the 8th grade, she was taught reading by a strikingly good-looking young teacher named John Hamilton McNeely, born in Indiana and reared in Washington, DC. Mr. McNeely took notice of her sharp intelligence and that of her brother Santos Coy. He kept up with them through the years mostly through correspondence. Dora completed two years at Edinburg Junior College (now the University of Texas Pan American). At age twenty she was married at Sacred Heart Church in McAllen to that same former teacher, who was 10 years her senior, on August 28th, 1947. The groom converted from Presbyterianism to Catholocism. For their honeymoon, they traveled by car to El Paso, Texas where John was an Instructor at the Texas College of Mines and Metallergy, later Texas Western College and now the University of Texas at El Paso. The trip took several days. Dora became terribly homesick being so far from the only home she had ever known. Within two years, a little girl, Alma (they called her Almita) named after her paternal grandmother, was born to the happy couple on April 26th, 1949. Shortly thereafter they rented out their home and moved to Austin, Texas so that John could study for his PhD in History at the University of Texas at Austin. Upon returning to El Paso in 1952, the couple moved into the home in which they would reside for the next 51 years, a red-brick two-story at 1828 E. Cliff Drive, built in 1906. Shortly thereafter, Dora earned her Bachelor's degree from Texas Western College and began a teaching career that would span 34 years. She eventually became a part of the bilingual program intended to help Spanish-speaking children learn while adapting to English.On May 6, 1956, their second child was born, a son, John Hamilton Jr. In 1958 John, Sr. obtained his PhD degree. During these years Dora was a member of the 3rd Order of Franciscans and the "Cursillo" Movement. Her first grandchild, Ana Lisha, was born to her daughter, Alma, on November 16th, 1968. Dora learned to drive when she was 51 yrs. old. But was not afraid to travel through various parts of Mexico and several times to Europe seeing, England, Germany, Holland and Spain. She attended Guadalupe Church in El Paso, Texas and was active in their choir for a number of years and she played the piano. Dora retired from teaching in 1987 three years after John did. In the late 1980's she began "walking" in the Neocatechumenal Way at Guardian Angel Parish in South El Paso. In August of 1997, John and Dora celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary by renewing their vows. John and Dora went on to enjoy 6 grandchildren; three from both of their children. On his youngest grandchild's 13th birthday, John Sr. died of complications from a quadrupple bypass heart operation on February 12th, 2003. He was just short of 85 years old. Subsequently, Dora sold the family home and moved to Denver to be near her son John, Jr. She bought a Condo at Heather Gardens in Aurora, where she made many friends and attended Bible study sessions. She was joined a few months later by her daughter Alma and her grandson Francisco, who had just recently moved back to the States from Europe the year before. Dora joined a community of "The Way" at St. Thomas More Parish. In the Spring of 2006 Dora's Diabetes condition worsened requiring her to begin taking Insulin in the hopes of stemming otherwise inexplicable weight loss. On July 4th a diabetic crisis led to the discovery of Cancer. She spent the last few months with her family who cared for her and she was visited often by her brothers and sisters of "The Way" till she passed away during the noon hour on November 29th at the age of 79. She was preceeded in death by her parents, brothers and husband. She is survived by a daughter: Alma Alicia McNeely Riera (Denver), and grandchildren Ana Lisha Singh (Austin, Texas), Juan Antonio Rieria (Mallorca, SPAIN) and Francisco David Riera (Denver). She is also survived by a son, John Hamilton McNeely, Jr (Aurora) and his wife Marlene, and their children: Nina Dyan McNeely (Los Angeles), Lisa Michelle McNeely (Arcata, California) and Stephen Alexander McNeely (Aurora). Interment is expected to be at Valley Memorial Gardens in Mission, Texas, next to her late husband and other family members.