Yolanda Gutierrez Jimenez

Yolanda Gutierrez Jimenez, 89, was born on April 13, 1936, in Palacios, Texas, and was called home to be with her Lord and Savior on the morning of October 23, 2025. Yolanda was a devoted mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and sister whose love and kindness touched all who knew her.

She attended the Presbyterian Pan American School, a private all-girls institution in Taft, Texas, founded in 1924 for Mexican American girls. Proud of her roots, Yolanda loved her hometown of Palacios—spending countless days by the Gulf of Mexico, enjoying the pier, and making cherished memories with her family.

In her early years, she moved to Houston, where she began working for Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, becoming the first Hispanic telephone operator at the company. It was in Houston that she met and married the love of her life, Vincent “V.J.” Jimenez. Together, they founded V.J. Paint and Body Shop in Denver Harbor, where Yolanda worked faithfully alongside her husband while raising their children.

Family was the heart of Yolanda’s life. She later devoted her time to caring for and helping raise her beloved grandchildren. The Jimenez family shared countless adventures—vacations to Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta, annual reunions in Palacios, and memorable trips to Las Vegas and the casinos in Lake Charles.

Yolanda was also an active member of the Denver Harbor Senior Citizens/ Ripley House Senior Program and the Denver Harbor V.F.W. Post #8930. She loved seafood—especially oysters—listening to the music of Freddie Fender, and taking trips with her senior group to cheer on her favorite team, the Houston Astros.

She was the true matriarch of her family—strong, loving, and selfless—and will be deeply missed by all who were blessed to know her.

Yolanda was preceded in death by her loving husband, Vincent “V.J.” Jimenez (April 18, 1997); her son, Leonard Garza; her daughter, Deborah Jimenez; her brothers, Oscar Gutierrez and Ruben Gutierrez; her sister, Susie Rios; and her grandchildren, Eric Jimenez, Mario Garza, Jessica Jimenez, and Priscila Jimenez.

She leaves behind to cherish her memory her sons, Vincent Jimenez, Jr., Lionel Jimenez, Jerry Jimenez, and Eric Jimenez; her daughters, Denise Cruz, Sandy Jimenez, Patricia Jimenez, and Linda Sue Compean; along with 22 grandchildren, numerous great-grandchildren, and many other relatives and dear friends.

Yolanda’s legacy of love, strength, and family devotion will continue to live on in all who knew and loved her.