Día de los Muertos honors pillar of community

Families and communities gather every year at the end of October to remember their deceased loved ones, honor their legacies with favorite treats and memories, and celebrate Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). This year that tradition will continue in San Marcos with the honoring of the late Ofelia Vasquez-Philo at the Día de los Muertos 5K Run/ Walk & Kids Fun Run scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 27 at Hernandez Elementary School.

The late Ofelia Vasquez-Philo will be this year's Dia de los Muertos 5K Run/Walk & Kids Fun Run honoree.

Unlike what the name implies, Día de los Muertos does not celebrate death. Rather it is a celebration of the lives of friends and family who have moved on. This year the life and the legacy of Vasquez-Philo, who died Nov. 1, 2017 at the age of 84, will be honored.

During her life, Vasquez-Philo was an advocate for education and equality. To many she stood as a pillar in her community.

Vasquez-Philo was born Dec. 28, 1932 in Seguin, and was the oldest of nine surviving children. Growing up on the Freeman Ranch where her father was a foreman, she was early on exposed to books belonging to the Freeman family.

“When she was at the Freeman Ranch she fell in love with education,” Rosalba Merchant, Vasquez-Philo’s youngest child, said. “The Freemans had all sorts of books and magazines including National Geographic and Life Magazine and she would sit in the well room – it was her job to water – and read those magazines and just fall in love with travel. I think it sparked a fire in her, made her want to see the world.”

Families and friends can sponsor a memory board for display at the race in honor of a loved one who has passed, or place their name and photo on the Day of the Dead community altar. Daily Record file photos by Denise Cathey

Vasquez-Philo married Joe Vasquez Jr. in 1950 at the age of 17 and they raised seven children together in San Marcos. Though Vasquez-Philo never graduated from high school with a degree, she was a pioneer with a strong belief in the value of education, something she passed on to her children.

She worked part time in 1966 at the Office of Community Action and in 1970 she became executive director, a position she would hold until her retirement in 1993. During this period, she obtained her GED Certificate and went on to earn her Bachelor’s Degree from Antioch University, Austin Campus in 1978.

She was the first Latina to serve on the San Marcos Independent School Board from 1969 to 1971. She was a charter member of the San Marcos Heritage Foundation, a member of the Hays County Historical Commission, the San Marcos League of Women Voters, the finance Council and the Bereavement ministry of St. John’s Catholic Church. She also worked for the preservation of Hispanic cemeteries and served on numerous city and county boards and commissions.

Growing up, Melba Vasquez, Vasquez Philo’s oldest child, remembers that even though their family was not well-to-do themselves, her mother was always doing something for those that were more destitute than they were.

“We grew up with the norm that your job is to help people, that’s what life is about and to do that as much as possible,” Melba Vasquez said.

The family of the chosen honoree can decorate a table with photos and objects from the passed loved ones's life.

Vasquez-Philo was a caring person that recognized the importance of education and political engagement in breaking cycles of poverty and oppression, according to her daughters.

“She was always really adamant about how voting and politics are really important to improve the condition and one of her passions was providing equal opportunities to people,” Vasquez said. “Before she even knew the term ‘institutional racism’ or the structural and societal ways that people are oppressed, she had that concept in her mind. She would say that it’s not always someone’s fault that they never have been taught this or that they don’t know this. She was always balancing how to help people and how to change things politically, administratively and societally as well.”

Vasquez-Philo was one of the founders of Centro Cultural Hispano de San Marcos, a cultural institution that preserves and celebrates Hispanic heritage and provides programs, classes and events that cultivate a passion for the arts and education. The museum that now resides within the center is named after her.

Vasquez said when she was growing up she didn’t realize how much her mother was doing or how important it was.

“When you’re a kid, you don’t realize that anything your parents are doing is out of the unusual,” she said. “You don’t realize that it was exceptional. It was just kind of what we expected, mom was busy always going to meeting and doing other things.”

It wasn’t until Vasquez was in high school that she realized how civically active her mother was and it wasn’t until later on her life that she understood how much of trail her mother blazed.

“I remember I would go over to friends houses’ and she would always be in the room with the men talking about politics,” Vasquez said. “I didn’t know how I felt about that then, but later on I came to appreciate her willingness to not have to do what was expected of her and to do what she believed in and felt passionate about.”

Over the course of Vasquez-Philo’s life, she received many awards including the Trailblazer Award for Hays County and The Light of the World Award from Bishop Gregory Aymond. She was also the co-author of a book, “Suenos y Recuerdos del Pasado,” that recounted the lives of early Hispanic settlers. She was presented the Premio Letras de Aztian Award from the National Association Of Chicana & Chicano Studies in 2012 because of her significant contributions to the betterment of the Mexican-American community in Texas.

“I think one of the things she taught us, whether it was in civic duty or in anything, was that if you are not happy with the way things are than you need to get educated, get involved and change it,” Merchant said. “And encourage others around you to do the same.”

Vasquez-Philo is survived by her seven children Melba Vasquez, Norma Martinez, Gilbert Vasquez, Rachel Vasquez, Josie Villapando, Oscar Vasquez and Rosalba Merchant as well as 17 grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews and many others whose lives she touched.

During this year’s Día de los Muertos 5K Run/Walk & Kids Fun Run she will be honored and remembered posthumously for her generous community spirit and service to local citizens.

Child runners take off at breakneck pace from the starting line lead by one of the race icons Juanito (left) for the shorter Kids Fun Run course during the fifth annual Dia de los Muertos 5K Run/Walk and Kids Fun Run outside Hernandez Elementary School.

Vasquez-Philo, though unable to run or walk the 5k, had attended previous Dia de los Muertos 5k runs and supported the organization started by Celia Rosales and her husband.

5k proceeds will benefit the Johnnie T. Rosales Memorial scholarship 501c3 organization which provides annual scholarship awards to selected San Marcos High School students with a portion of the proceeds also benefiting the Centro Cultural Hispano de San Marcos.

There will be onsite registration starting at 7 a.m., the ceremony honoring Ofelia Vasquez Philo will start at 7:30 a.m., the 5k run and walk will start at 8 a.m. and the kids fun run will start at 9 a.m. Online registration before the run is available at Athlete's Guild's website.

Families and friends can sponsor a memory board for display at the race in honor of a loved one who has passed, or place their name and photo on the Day of the Dead community altar.

Participants are encouraged to wear their Day of the Dead costumes and there will be face painting available for those that show up early.

For general inquiries email diadelosmuertos5k@gmail.com or follow them on Facebook or Twitter.