Josephine Gamez

1940 - 2025

Josephine Gamez
September 14, 1940 - August 4, 2025
Josephine Audelia "Pepita" Gamez passed away on August 4, 2025, in San Antonio, Texas, at the age of 84.
Born on September 14, 1940, in Coleman, Texas, she was the first daughter of Amelia and Lisandro Gamez. Her parents and extended family were sharecroppers who toiled in the fields picking cotton. Seeking better opportunities, her parents and the entire Gamez family moved to San Antonio not long after she born, settling just north of downtown.
She spent her formative years growing up on the West Side of San Antonio in a little house on Buena Vista Street. She attended nearby Sacred Heart Catholic School for her early education, graduating in 1955. Growing up speaking only Spanish, she found elementary school difficult as she had to learn English on the fly. However, she persevered and quickly became bilingual, learning English well enough to speak on behalf of her parents. Josephine went on to attend Providence High School, graduating as a proud member of the Provet Class of '59. As many San Antonians have done, she enrolled at San Antonio College, taking courses in art and history.
Expected to work and contribute to the family, Josephine did her part and found employment in civil service at Kelly Air Force Base. Josie, as she was known to her coworkers, started out as a key punch operator. She prospered at Kelly and rose through the ranks, eventually being promoted into management. After thirty years of dedicated service, Pepita retired in 1995.
In her golden years, Tia Pepita took up several hobbies: floral arranging, preaching the dangers of drinking milk to her nephews, blasting Julio Iglesias albums, and visiting her cousins in San Angelo and Tennessee. She also took on the role of family historian, preserving stories and memories for future generations. Ultimately, she began her second career: garage sale aficionada. Nobody could haggle over an outdated CD "boombox" like Tia Pepita could.
As her parents grew older, Tia Pepita assumed the role of primary caretaker when her mother was sick with cancer and her father was in a nursing home. In 2005 she became a great-aunt when Joshua, son of Alejandro and Marie, was born. With an eye towards his future, she started a college fund for him, a testament to her generous spirit and forward-thinking nature.
Josephine was preceded in death by her beloved parents, Amelia and Lisandro Gamez. She is survived by her sister Raquel Gamez Flores; nephews Xavier Martinez and Alejandro Martinez (Marie); and great-nephew Joshua Martinez. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to Providence Catholic School.
She will be missed by her family and friends, and remembered for her fierce independence and her commitment to family.