Virginia Compian

Virginia Compian

1932 ~ 2019

‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ Matthew 25:21

With profound sadness we announce the passing of Virginia, our loving and devoted Mother and friend to all whose lives she touched, on November 6, 2019.

She left us peacefully surrounded by her surviving Son and Daughter, Joe and Sandy.

Born on a small farm house in Bellville, Texas on May 21, 1932, she witnessed the worse and best of our wonderful country. When her Mother and Father, Trinidad and Aurelio Compean, relocated to Sugar Land in the 1940’s, she and her siblings began their schooling at the “Mexican” school. When her Mother packed lunch tacos, she was forced to hide eating them since the teacher would confiscate them if found and toss them in the garbage. When telling us this story, she would always ask, “Why did they treat us differently? Why did they hate us?”

When the Family moved to Richmond, they encountered many downtown stores with ominous warning signs posted saying, “No Ni...ers, No Me…cans, No Dogs!” Mom rebelled at this treatment. After leaving her doctor’s office located above the ice cream shop, she decided she wanted an ice cream cone and, ignoring the sign, she marched in, climbed onto a counter seat and ordered a cone.  She was told she had to leave.  She would not leave without her ice cream.

Wondering what all the commotion was downstairs, her doctor entered the shop and found Mom at the counter.  “What do you need Virgie?”, he asked her.  “All I want is an ice cream cone!”, Mom responded.  The good doctor told the counter person, “Give this young lady her ice cream cone.  She can come in anytime.”

It was these early life experiences that caused her to instill in her children the need to always love everyone and to never forget to say, “I love you to one another.”

Mom was a determined and driven little lady with endless energy.  Upon the birth of her first child, Joe, she continued working with her Father and siblings on the family farm.  She would safely secure her newborn child on the cotton sack and pulled him along as she filled her sack to its capacity of 100 pounds.  She was a farm girl at heart and continued gardening well into her final years.

In the late 1950’s, Virginia and her husband, Jose, relocated to Galveston.  Jose began classes and training as a union apprentice carpenter. After Hurricane Carla, Virginia and Jose built their home in La Marque.  She resided in La Marque for 46 years.  Virginia and Jose were active members of Queen of Peace Church in La Marque.  Virginia participated in the Ladies Guild, the Altar Society and loved singing with the Spanish choir.  She loved to cook, kept an immaculate home, was a seamstress who often made clothes for her 4 school age children especially for her girls Sandy and Lizzie, enjoyed caring for many newborn children and loved hosting large family gatherings.

Most of all Virginia was a woman of strong faith.  She prayed her daily Rosary and often joined with her Son, Joe, in responding to people in crisis.  After Hurricane Ike flooded many Galveston churches, she joyfully hosted Fr. Paul Banet of Holy Rosary, Fr. Niles Nolan of Sacred Heart and Fr. Brendon Murphy of St. Mary’s for several weeks.

Along with her husband, Jose, she instilled in her children a strong faith tradition, the need for a giving heart and unconditional love to all.  Mom positively impacted many people.

“I wanted to say how wonderful it was to have met your mother.  She was by all means a very powerful, dear and enigmatic soul.  She fought hard and probably defied the odds compared to others in her situation.  This was a testament to the love that she had and was surrounded by.” said her doctor, Rishi Bhardwaj.  She will be dearly missed and forever remembered.

Virginia was the beloved wife of the late Jose Compian.  She was the loving mother of Joe and Sandy and the late Elizabeth (Anthony Brannon) and Dr. James Compian.  She was the cherished grandmother of Matthew James Compian.

Virginia was the dear sister of Ynes P. Compean (Pauline), Victoria C. Garcia (Richard), Eddie P. Compean, Marcelino P. Compean (Maria) and the late Domingo Gonzales (Trine), Faustino P. Compean (Santos), Alfonso P. Compean (Ascension), Marcelina C. Duran (Nicasion) and the late Anastacia C. Pulido (Carlos). She will also be remembered by her many beloved cousins, nephews, nieces and God children.

Virginia’s love also extended to “adopted” children Irene, Frank, Julie, Nicky and Amanda Leyva, Lisa Masters, Michael Willig and Henry Heldner.

A Celebration of her joyful life will be Friday, November 15 th , at Queen of Peace Catholic Church, 1224 Cedar Drive, in La Marque beginning at 3 pm.  A Vigil prayer service will begin at 5:30 pm with a Rosary recited immediately thereafter.

A Funeral Mass with co-celebrants Fr. Chako Puthumayil and Fr. Desmond Daniels of the Methodist Hospital Catholic Chaplain Corps will be Saturday, November 16th, at 11 am at Queen of Peace Church with entombment to follow at Mt. Olivet Catholic Cemetery where she will be joining Jose, James and Elizabeth.

Pallbearers are Frank Gonzales, Irene Torres, Gloria C. Rodriguez, Eva C. Rubio, Carrie D. Boesenberg, John Garcia, Vicente C. Pullido, Gregory Compean, Jeffrey Compean and Nicky Leyva. Honoray Pallbearers are Ynes P. Compean, Victoria C. Garcia, Marcelino P. Compean, Frank and Irene Leyva, Richard and Delia Compean, WK Leonard, and Amanda de Leon. Flowers or memorials to Queen of Peace Church are welcome. Online condolences may be expressed at www.compeanfuneralhomes.com.

Virginia gives special thanks and love to her nephews Bono C. Pulido of Esperanza Funeral Home and Gregory Compean of Compean Funeral Home. The Family also is grateful for the compassionate care and life extending efforts over the past 2 weeks of the doctors, nurses and staff at the Methodist Hospital (Walter) 10th floor Cardio ICU and most especially to her favorite family cardiologist Dr. Stanley Duchman and Physician’s Assistant Brittany Richards.