Nellie Mendiola

Nellie Watson Mendiola went home to her Lord on May 4, 2010. She was born in San Antonio, Texas on January 16, 1928 to Estella and Robert Watson. She spent her childhood in Rio Grande City, Texas and Cuatro Cienegas, Coahuila, Mexico.

Nellie will be remembered fondly by her friends and family as the
Dancing Queen. All who loved her knew dancing was her passion. After high school, she left the valley to attend Texas Womens College in Denton but her heart led her back to the performing arts. She transferred to a private ballet school in McAllen and later Nellie opened her own ballet studio. And it was dance, as fate would have it that would lead her to meet the love of her life. Nellie needed a dance partner for a folkloric performance. Horacio Mendiola came into the picture and literally swept her off her dancing feet, and theyve been dancing ever since.

During their 58 year marriage, their social life always involved dancing. Dressed to the nines in formals or costumes, they were off to dinner dances sponsored by clubs such as the International 300, the Gay Nighters or the Zarape Club. And whether it was Charro Days in Brownsville or dinner at the Drive Inn in Matamoros, Nellie and Horacio were always the first ones on the dance floor and the last ones off.

But that wasnt enough. She danced with Bellas Artes Academy and became a founding member of an all woman dance troupe called Gotta Dance. She entertained hundreds all over the valley. Nellie always kept up with the latest dance craze and made sure her daughters and friends were up to speed on such dances as The Freeze and The Macarena.

Nellie was also very active in the community. She was a member of the Mercy Hospital Auxiliary, Catholic Daughters, Alpha Kappa Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi, a board member on the Fort Brown Memorial Center, The American Cancer Society, the Pan American Round Table 1, and Community Concerts. She held various positions in the CameronWillacy Medical Alliance Society and was instrumental in implementing a school program still in use at Brownsville schools called Quest. It teaches the four Rs of learning Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, and Responsibility. As a member of the Junior Service League, she helped choreograph one of her favorite events, the Follies.

As the saying goes, Behind every successful man is a strong woman.
Nellie was certainly that as she helped her husband pursue his dream of becoming a doctor. While he studied medicine, she tended to the needs of their two young daughters, Nelleen and Theresa. When Horacio finished medical school, they eventually settled in Brownsville where Horacio opened his Pediatric practice.

Nellies patience and perfection helped her become an incredible china painter and master seamstress. Her attention to detail was evident in the kitchen as well. She was often found scrubbing every inch of a toaster oven with a toothbrush. She found joy in life whether she was dancing, at the beach building castles, or searching for colorful rocks at her ranch in Llano, Texas.

Nellies life was marked by the elegance and grace of her character, her beautiful smile, and the enduring devotion to her family. Our memories of her will be forever cherished.

Nellie is preceded in death by her father, Robert Lee Watson and her mother, Estella Uribe Watson.

She is survived by her husband, Dr. Horacio Mendiola and her daughters, Nelleen Mendiola McCormick Ron Oliveira and Theresa Mink Hall and husband, Curtis of Austin, Texas. Also mourning her loss are her six grandchildren: Jason Garcia, Steven Garcia, Emilee McCormick and husband Aaron Simmons, Ryan Anna McCormick, Jared Mink, Todd McCormick and her great grandsons, Riley McCormick and Luke Simmons who is on the way. She is also survived by her brothers: Bob, James and wife Pearl Watson of Austin, Texas and her sister, Estella Watson Tijerina of San Antonio, Texas. We would like to give special recognition to Catalina Muoz, her longtime caregiver and companion.

A memorial Mass of Christian Resurrection will be celebrated at St. Marys Catholic Church on Saturday, May 15, at 2 pm with a reception celebrating Nellies life in the parish hall following Mass.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial gifts be made to the Nellie Mendiola Scholarship Endowment for Dance at UTBTSC. Gifts can be mailed to the UTBTSC Development Office, 80 Fort Brown, Brownsville, Texas 78520.

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