Francisca “Frances” Silvas was born in Houston, Texas to Minerva Martinez and Felix Benavidez on October 1, 1954. She was the second daughter in a family of five daughters and one son. Our mother loved our father Pablo so much that she could not live in a world without him, and now we are in a world without her.
We are at a loss for words over losing our beloved mother. But we refuse to let her story end with her loss. So, we share stories with our children about how our mother loved each one of them. When our mother loved someone, she would love them with her whole heart and soul. She would squeeze you so hard when she hugged you that you could almost experience the depth of her love. We will miss those hugs! We will miss her smile, laughter, and her off-color sense of humor.
She loved watching her shows -- Western TV shows that we remember watching as kids. She watched them until the end. She was a true bookworm. Many of us became bookworms because of her. She loved trash TV and tabloid reads. Some of us will miss hearing her share the latest celebrity gossip! She was a bit of a social butterfly because anyone she met for the first time would be greeted with a smile and a joke or two and made to feel as if they were longtime friends.
She loved having her children and grandchildren surrounding her and Dad to enjoy a meal together in the backyard. The music would always be playing the songs they loved for so many years and we would all enjoy our time together. Our mother would always say, “We might not be a rich family, but we have a wealth of love for one another. And that’s priceless!” When we were children, Mom would sing “You Are My Sunshine” to us and later to our children. Now, we sing that song for her because she will forever be our sunshine.
But our mother’s love doesn’t stop with us -- she also deeply loves her sisters and their families. Mom loved spending time with them -- whether it was going for breakfast, Easters at Hermann Park, or a casino trip -- she cherished each one of her sisters and her baby brother, Bill, whom she joins in Paradise with our beloved father. Mom is preceded in death by her loving husband, our father, Pablo Silvas, Jr., and she is survived by their children, Samantha Perez, Timothy Gabriel Silvas, and Paula Marie Silvas; grandchildren, Michael Perez, Jr., Stephanie Marie Perez, Gabriela Samantha Silvas, Jessica Silvas, Narcisse Genevie Carmona, Martin Guadalupe Carmona, Jr., Matthew Ashton Carmona, Timothy Gabriel Silvas II, Timothy Gabriel Silvas III, and Ava Esabella Carmona; and great-granddaughter, Evelyn Silvas Benavidez, and another great-granddaughter on the way, Ariah Isabella Carmona. We are deeply saddened but their legacy lives on!