Un recuerdo: Mapy Casso Uranga †

Mapy Casso, Portrait by Kitty Welsh.

May 9, 1937 – October 19, 2020

My sister Mapy (Maria de Jesus) Casso Uranga peacefully passed away on Monday morning, October 19, 2020 at her home in the city of Santiago de Queretaro, Mexico, with her husband Hector Ignacio (Nacho) Uranga faithfully at her side, and surrounded by a core group of members of the faith community of Iglesia Cristiana de Queretaro. This is the loving Christian church family that Mapy and Nacho joined over thirty years ago.

Hector Ignacio (Nacho) Uranga and Mapy Casso Uranga

Mapy was born on May 9, 1937. She was preceded in death by her parents, Oscar L. Casso and Hortensia Farias de Casso, of Nuevo Laredo; grandparents, Fabian Farias Benavides and Juanita Gonzalez –Navarro Farias and Jesus María Casso de la Barreda and María de Jesus Peña Casso; brothers-in-law, Francisco Javier Couttolenc Urquiaga  of Mexico City and Arturo N. Benavides, Sr.

She is survived by sisters:  Hortensia Casso Couttolenc of Mexico City; Cordelia Casso (Ricardo) Flores; Gloria Casso Benavides; Graciela Casso ( Martin Alberto) Pinilla of Miami, Fl.; Lucila Casso (Rob Roy III ) Jennings: Elsa Casso (Juan) Garza of Nuevo Laredo; and brother, Oscar L. Casso Farias of Nuevo Laredo.

Standing left to right, Mapy Casso Uranga, Elsa Casso Garza, Gracie Casso Pinilla, and Tencha Casso Couttolenc; seated are Gloria Casso Benavides, Lucilla Casso Jennings, and Cordelia Casso Flores.

Also, nieces and nephews: María Hortensia (Mambru) Couttolenc and daughter, Lucila Novaro Couttolenc; Ricardo Marcelo Flores and daughters, Marcela Isabel (Marcy), Vanessa Sofia, and Camila; Gabriela Susana Flores (Jorge) Gutierrez; Eduardo (Lalo and Fabiola) Flores and children, Eduardo Alfonso Jr. and Sofia Elena of San Antonio; Cordy Flores (Alan, G Jr.) Jackson and children, Alan Jackson III and Katherine (Katie) Alyssa Jackson; Oscar Ignacio Flores; Anna Benavides (John) Galo and son John Roman; Arturo N. Benavides, Jr. and daughter Zoe; Martin Alberto II (Cristina) Pinilla and children, Martin Enrique, Paloma Emilia, Luciano Elias, and Mila Cristina; Gabriel Damian (Jodie Anne) Pinilla and children, Fenix Damian, Jonas Eloi, Frida Claire, and Ofelia Joy; Cristy (Lucila Cristine) Jennings, Rob Roy IV (Laura “Lauie”) and children, Rob Roy V and Garret Colton (Garrrett); Oscar Thomas Clarence “O.T.” (Cynthia “Cindy”) Jennings and children, Ira Desmond and Kathlene Adele; Juan Alejandro “Bebo” (Blanca Montemayor) Garza and daughter Abril; Veronica Melissa (Beba) Garza; Elsa Marlene Garza (Jason) Ruiz and son Matías; Ana Marcela Garza (Martin) Covarrubias and sons, Mateo and Saul; and Rebecca Elena (Becky) Casso.

Seated are Gloria C. Benavides, Filomena (Filo) Guerra, Mapy C.Uranga, Hortensia Farias Casso, Fernando A. Salinas (lifelong family friend). Standing are Elsa C. Garza, Cordelia C. Flores, Lucila C. Jennings, Oscar L. Casso Farias, Graciela C. Pinilla, and Hortenoa (Tencha) C. Couttolenc.

Mapy graduated from Ursuline Academy where she was May Queen, head cheerleader for the St. Joseph Antlers, and among the school’s top students. She represented Mexico her senior year at the Colonial Ball and was also presented at the Casino de Salltillo Black and White Ball among other honors. She received her degree in art from Incarnate Word College in San Antonio and later was a popular art teacher at Ursuline Academy. While still in college, she worked summers at Sanborn’s Travel Agency under a wonderful mentor, the late Cecilia Claflin. She also worked for her father, Oscar L. Casso, as a super executive secretary. For at least a couple of years she helped organize and participated in the pigeon shoots he directed for the benefit of the Nuevo Laredo Club Campestre, always a great success.

She hosted “The Mapy Casso Show” for KGNS and later worked as assistant society editor for The Laredo Times. She and Nacho met at the newspaper, when he came from El Paso to become the editor of the Spanish section of The Laredo Times.  They married in August 1968 and in the early seventies they moved to make their home in Mexico City for a number of years, later moving to Queretaro. Mapy and Nacho remained especially close to her sister Tencha and niece Mambru. They made numerous lifelong friends. They both loved dancing, spending time in the sun, playing cards, and traveling. She loved their special trips to Los Angles to visit Nacho’s extensive family and always remained very close to family and friends in both Laredos. All her nieces and nephews adored Mapy for the special love she showered on them all.

 Mapy had many talents and gifts and excelled at whatever activity she ever pursued. She was a gourmet cook, a talented artist, furniture designer, writer, homemaker, photographer, make-up artist and entrepreneur. She was a born entertainer, coining and popularizing memorable greetings, was a natural in the art of pantomime, with a flair for imitating artists and celebrities, always able to make everyone laugh and enjoy her company. She was stylish and glamorous, not conceited, and always kind and loving and joyful. She is remembered as a wonderful teacher by many, both in and out of the classroom, and for bringing a positive spirit with her wherever she went. As her beloved father, Oscar approached his final days, around the Renewal era of the Christian Charismatic movement in Laredo, Mapy gave her life to Jesus. Thus she embarked on a life dedicated to the study of the Bible. She and Nacho joined a small evangelical church community in Queretaro, and she became one of the most ardent and beloved of members. This is the community that lovingly surrounded her and cared deeply for her until her final departure to meet her Lord. Prayer services took place at the Uranga residence in Queretaro and following cremation, she will be buried at a later date in the family plot in Nuevo Laredo.