Leticia Barguiarena

Leticia Barguiarena, 66, beloved daughter, wife, mother, cousin, and friend entered into the glory of her eternal life on Wednesday, October 9, 2019, at Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen with her family at her side.

Lety, as she was affectionately known to all, was born in Brownsville, TX. She was a proud member of the BHS Class of ’72. She attended Texas Southmost College and then transferred to UT Austin. In May of 1976, she graduated with her BA is Sociology. Lety moved to Houston in the late 70s, where she worked with Child Protective Services. While living in Houston, Lety joined the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program and became a “Big Sister” to Gracie Perez, a friendship that lasted until her passing.

In the mid-80s, she started law school at South Texas College of Law. Lety received her Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1988. Lety was admitted to the State Bar of Texas and the Cameron County Bar Association in 1988. Upon completing her law studies, Lety returned to her hometown to begin work as an attorney. She worked for the DA’s office from 1988 to 1992. From 1992 to 1998 she worked for Hirsch, Sheiness & Garcia as a Senior Associate. In 1998, Lety established her law practice Barguiarena & Barron, partnering with her longtime friend, Olga Barron.

In addition to being a diligent attorney who always protected the rights of those she defended, Lety was an active community member in both Brownsville and Harlingen. Lety was a member of the Harlingen Junior Service League, Brownsville Rotary, and Leadership Brownsville to name a few. Lety also served on the Board for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates).

In 1993, Lety met the love of her life, Mike Travis. In July of 1994, Lety and Mike married at Our Lady Queen of the Universe in San Benito. They celebrated their Silver Anniversary this summer.

Lety was deeply loved and will be profoundly missed not only by her family and friends but by all those fortunate to have known her.

Lety was preceded in death by her father, Miguel Barguiarena; her step-father, A.D. “Jack” Jackson; her maternal grandmother, Cristina Gutierrez and numerous aunts and uncles.

Left behind to eternally treasure their memories of her are her loving mother, Rafaela “Lala” Jackson; beloved husband of 25 years, Mike Travis; daughter, Sabrina Menjivar; 3 cousins that were like her sisters: Christy Benton, Irasema (Tony) Diaz de Leon, and Imelda (Rafael) Mendoza; along with numerous other cousins, extended family members, and friends.

The visitation will begin at 3:00 p.m. and continue through 9:00 p.m. with the recitation of the rosary scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Friday, October 11, 2019, in the East Chapel at Darling-Mouser Funeral Home. The funeral Mass is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 12, 2019, at Our Lady Queen of the Universe, 1425 N. Sam Houston, San Benito, TX. Committal services will follow at Rose Lawn Memorial Gardens.

Lety’s husband Mike; her brother-in-law, Steve Travis; her nephew, Jacob Benton; along with her lifelong friends: Armando “Mando” Martinez; Ruben H. Martinez, and Allan J. “Big Al” Gillies are honored to be serving as Lety’s pallbearers.

Christy Benton, Irasema Diaz de Leon, Imelda Mendoza, Rosario Bournakis, Estela Carrillo, Annali De Hoyos, Ester Allgower, Olga Barron, Loraine G. Knoch, Joe Barguiarena, Dr. Emilio O. Hernandez DDS and the BHS Class of ’72 will serve as honorary pallbearers.

Family and friends are invited to view the obituary, sign the guestbook, and leave condolence messages for Lety’s family at www.darlingmouser.com.

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Darling-Mouser Funeral Home, 945 Palm Blvd., Brownsville, Texas 78520 and 956-546-7111.