SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR
To honor a stalwart supporter of higher education, the family of Ophelia Muñoz Rodriguez has created an annual scholarship in her name to bolster aspiring teachers as they pursue their college degrees.
The Ophelia Muñoz Rodriguez Memorial Scholarship will provide $1,000 in financial assistance for students who graduate from a Texas high school and enroll in the College of Education at Texas State University to pursue a teacher certification with plans to teach elementary education.
Ophelia Muñoz Rodriguez was born April 14, 1928, and died Dec. 8, 2021, in Mission.
A 1949 alumna from what was Southwest Texas State Teachers College in San Marcos, Rodriguez earned her Bachelor of Science degree in education and returned home to the Rio Grande Valley to teach and guide young minds in the Mission Consolidated Independent School District for 30 years.
She took pride in formulating and preparing future civic and business leaders plus others who, as adults, would make substantial contributions to their community.
Rodríguez became interested in teaching as a young girl. In her youth, her family had a big table in their backyard where neighborhood children came to study.
“I took over teaching them and so I kept on and did it for life,” Rodriguez once said.
Married to Eriberto G. Rodriguez for 67 years, the couple had two sons, Richard Lee and Kris Edward Rodriguez. Her two grandchildren, Alec Gabriel and Sophia Leigh, were also great sources of joy in her life.
Rodríguez enjoyed gardening, arts and crafts and even made her own clothing. She was an active member of El Mesias Methodist Church in Mission, where she sang in the choir, participated in scripture studies and other fellowship activities.
Rodríguez made sure all her children and grandchildren earned college degrees to improve their chances of having successful lives.
Rodriguez, pictured second from left, is seen attending her grandson Alec’s high school graduation in San Antonio, along with granddaughter Sophia, sons Kris and Richard, and husband Eriberto. “It was Mom’s last time to leave the Valley before Alzheimer’s started effecting her decision making,” said Kris Rodriguez.
