Roll Call Tribute

Stephanie Lynn Gatica
December 24, 1991 - November 10, 2021

Stephanie Lynn Gatica entered eternal rest and peace at the age of 29 on November 10, 2021. She was born in San Antonio, Texas on December 24, 1991 (Christmas Eve baby) to Jimmy and Margie Gatica.

Stephanie is preceded in death by her grandparents, Francisca Silva and Santiago and Wilfreda Gatica. She is survived by her loving parents, Jimmy and Margie Gatica, her loving older brother Jimmy Gatica, Jr., her amazing fur baby cat Purrla, and extended family and friends. In her final moments, she was surrounded by her parents and brother. She will forever be remembered and missed by all those that knew and loved her deeply.

Stephanie (or as her parents and brother called her Stephie), our little angel baby, blessing from God, was born on Christmas Eve and always enjoyed her favorite time of year, the Holiday Season. She couldn’t wait to decorate for the season and go shopping. She filled every moment with laughter and happiness. It is tradition in our family for birthdays to start at Midnight on your birthday and end at Midnight. By 12:05 a.m. she would already be blowing out her birthday cake candles on her favorite yellow cake with chocolate frosting. The day would continue with all things Stephie. At the stroke of midnight on the 25th we would celebrate Christmas as a family around the Christmas tree opening gifts accompanied with laughter and cheer.

Even as a small baby, Stephie always had a smile on her face. This continued throughout her life. She was the type of person that you couldn’t help but love and want to be her friend. Her giving spirit, joyfulness, kindness, and uplifting attitude always shined through. She was always willing to help out anyone who needed her, especially her friends. She had a sharp and witty personality, full of puns, and could always make you laugh.

Stephie loved spending time with her family. We will never forget her coming over to watch her favorite TV shows; Grey’s Anatomy, Survivor, The Voice, The Bachelor/Bachelorette, and so many others. We will miss her commentary – she always had something to say and added the extra laughter to all these shows. Her mom will miss various activities together such as: shopping with her, trying on and buying clothes which was always a funny adventure with her and purchasing new additions to her extensive purse collection. She was a wonderful daughter who cared deeply for her parents and brother. We’re a very tight knit family and much of what we do is completely intertwined. She loved her brother, who lives in College Station, and always looked forward to his visits. She looked forward to visiting him especially when he hosted Thanksgiving for us. Stephie and her brother loved board games. Recently, we all played the game of life; we couldn’t stop laughing as her toy car filled with babies, a spouse and a pet. In true Stephie form she placed her pet in the front seat while her spouse and babies were just hanging off the back seats.

Stephie graduated from St. Paul’s Catholic School. She enjoyed her time at St. Paul’s and was involved in various clubs/activities. She excelled academically and received many awards upon graduation. At St. Paul’s the students attend mass every Friday. To this date when we close our eyes we can still see and hear her reading at mass. Also, she was a member of the Girl Scouts. She enjoyed various activities such as: selling girl scout cookies, earning patches, going camping and making life long friendships.

Her academic career continued on at Incarnate Word High School. She exceled academically and enjoyed making many friends. She was honored and excited to be Student Council President her Senior year. She participated in so many activities that our calendars were always full with some event she was either helping coordinate or participating in.

After graduating from Incarnate Word High School she attended Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. She graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Human Resources Development. As a former student Class of ’14 she loved Texas A&M and was proud and happy to be an Aggie! She loved her Aggie Football and couldn’t wait for Game Days. At Aggie football games she would always stand and swing her 12th man towel as a proud member of the Fightin Texas Aggie 12th man. She was involved in various clubs and organizations during her time at A&M. She made lifelong friends (especially Julia, Christina and Perla) during her Aggie journey.

After graduating from Texas A&M University she had an internship at USAA, worked at Aramark Sports and Entertainment and Hyatt Hill Country resort. Her true calling led her to VIA Metropolitan Transit where she worked in Human Resources as an HRIS Administrator. She loved VIA’s mission and being around amazing co-workers. She really felt at home with VIA since she rode the bus for many years.

One of her happiest and proudest moments came when she became a home owner. She purchased a beautiful large house last year which was a God send because she was able to work from home and had the space to have a home office. She always told her fur baby Purrla that she bought her a house. She loved decorating her home.

She participated in a bowling league where she found an amazing group of people who became her good friends. She wasn’t the greatest bowler; however, she didn’t care, it was all about having fun and making friends.

She loved Baby Yoda, as evidenced by her extensive collection. From her Baby Yoda sweatshirts, Christmas hat with Baby Yoda ears, Alexa with Baby Yoda base; you name it she was all about Baby Yoda.

Music was one of Stephie’s obsessions. Her favorite artist was Taylor Swift. She was definitely a “Swiftie”. In the hospital she had a Baby Yoda with a rosary and her cell phone playing Taylor Swift on a loop the whole time.

She loved to travel, especially taking cruises. We had many family cruises and in particular her mom remembers the two special cruises they took together; Panama Canal Cruise and a 19 day Transatlantic cruise. It is amazing to have a daughter that would want to invite/spend so much time with their mother but, that was Stephie. Some of the places she traveled to include:

Paris, France - We got lost walking the streets of Paris but it was worth it once we rounded the corner and there was the Eiffel Tower.

London, England – She loved all the sights, but especially enjoyed taking photos in the red phone booths.
Rotterdam/Amsterdam – Amazing walking tours and of course the shopping.

Copenhagen, Denmark – We flew to Copenhagen to start our 19 day Transatlantic cruise. Beautiful city. We had a large, large, aft facing balcony and we could see everything and we arrived and left each port.

Panama Canal – We had a side balcony and it was amazing to see the locks open and close as we went through the Panama Canal.

Limon, Costa Rica – We were in the rain forest riding high above in a tram. Beautiful natural beauty and she was so happy it was protected.

Cartagena, Columbia – Beautiful architecture; however, all she said was it was hot, hot, hot. Columbia was a bit too hot for her.

Curacao and Aruba – Amazing beaches – we walked and saw the most amazing sunset.

Jamaica – Wonderful shopping and beautiful country.
Bermuda – She was terrified of the Bermuda triangle; however, had no choice because this cruise included Bermuda. She survived but it was not her favorite.
Portland, England – We visited Stonehenge and it was amazing to view in person.

Cork/Cobh, Ireland – She loved everything about Ireland. The countryside, the greenery, we walked through castles and learned the history. Of course, as always, the shopping. She bought a beautiful wool hat which she wore the rest of the trip.

During the Covid lockdown Stephie became very active on Social Media. She learned the art of making TikTok videos and would reach out to various online groups and communities to keep her sanity. During this time she found her special Tweirdo/Twitch community and made amazing friends. On behalf of the family we express our appreciation for the love and support this community has offered during this time.

Even at 29 years old she had lived a full life filled with adventure and rich experiences. She did not take anything for granted and left no stone unturned. Every relationship she fostered will forever be embraced and cherished. Her spirit and heart were truly created by God and kissed by the angels. She touched so many lives with her funny nature and kind deeds. She always left an unforgettable impression with so many.

The family would like to extend their sincere thanks and gratitude to all those who have extended prayers and condolences. Especially, to the staff of University Hospital MICU (Dr. Velez, Dr. Brigman, Dr. Hodgeman, and Dr. Barnett) for the care and love they showed Stephie during her time in the hospital. We know her bright light and selflessly giving spirit will go on in all the lives and people her life touched.

Visitation
Thursday, December 02, 2021
11:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Castle Ridge Mortuary
8008 W. Military Dr.
San Antonio, TX 78227

Rosary
Thursday, December 02, 2021
6:00 PM
Castle Ridge Mortuary
8008 W. Military Dr.
San Antonio, TX 78227

Visitation
Friday, December 03, 2021
8:30 AM - 9:15 AM
Castle Ridge Mortuary
8008 W. Military Dr.
San Antonio, TX 78227

Funeral Mass
Friday, December 03, 2021
10:00 AM
St. Paul Catholic Church
350 Sutton Drive
San Antonio, Texas 78228

Interment
Friday, December 03, 2021
12:00 PM
San Fernando Cemetery II
746 Castroville Rd
San Antonio, TX 78237