Maria De La Luz Lenart

Maria De La Luz Medina Lenart died in hospice care at her daughter’s home in Woodway, Texas early Tuesday, September 26, 2023. She was born May 29, 1935, in Laredo, Texas to her loving parents Arturo and Eva Medina.

Maria attended and graduated from high school in Laredo where she was active on the yearbook staff and excelled in her courses, especially Language Arts. After graduation, she met and fell in love with William (Bill) C. Lenart who was stationed in Laredo serving the US Air Force. They were married July 8, 1956, and she quickly fell into the busy and exciting life of a military wife. She traveled with Bill to different bases stateside where they were blessed with two children and then found themselves transferred to Japan. Maria enjoyed the Japanese culture, people, and food and was able to speak some of the language after living and working there for a few years.

After a few years abroad, Bill and Maria decided that he would continue working with the Air Force and they chose to settle with their children in Wichita Falls near Sheppard Air Force Base. While the children were in school, Maria worked on her cooking and baking skills and found that her cakes were loved by many. She enjoyed sharing what she created with friends and family and found that Fr. Paul at the base Catholic Church was her biggest fan. She was able to try a few jobs and one was a true calling, Region IX Education Center teaching ESL. There she found a new immigrant family that needed and accepted her guidance to procure proper citizenship papers. This filled her heart, and they became lifelong friends through the years. After a few years she procured a secretarial position at PPG and made more friends to share her cakes with as she was always helpful and loving to everyone she met.

Maria, a lifelong Catholic, instilled her love of her strong faith, and because she was a devoted and loving mother, she taught her children to be well-behaved and good students. She was supportive and loving but with a firm guidance to their children and grandchildren.

Maria was preceded in death by Bill, her loving husband of 55 years; her wonderful parents Eva and Arturo; siblings Efrain, Beatriz, Laurentina, and Joe; and her favorite son-in-law Ray Lyons.

She is survived by her daughter, Kathy Lyons and her children, Bryan, Steven, and Kayla; son Willie Lenart, Jr. and wife, Gayle of Wichita Falls, and their children James, Matthew, and Alicia; and grandchildren, Jude, Elijah, Addie, Bentley, Bellamy, and Matthew II. She was very proud of her sweet great-granddaughter Everlee. She is also survived by her siblings Arturo, Jr., Irma, Emilia, and Octavia along with many nieces and nephews.