DR. LAURO G. GUERRA

DR. LAURO G. GUERRA McALLEN - Dr. Lauro G. Guerra passed from this life to the presence of God on October 3, 2012. He was born in Mission, Texas in 1926 to Manuel and Lavinia Guerra. He attended Mission High School where he played football on a championship Mission Eagle team. One week after graduation in June 1943, he joined the U.S. Navy, served as a gunner's mate on an escort carrier and saw wartime action in the Pacific. After being discharged from the Navy, Dr. Guerra attended Edinburg Junior College for one year before transferring to the University of Texas at Austin in 1949. In 1954, he received his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. After completing his internship in San Antonio, Dr. Guerra returned to McAllen to establish his medical practice. Over the years as a family physician, Dr. Guerra delivered thousands of babies and treated many patients from all over South Texas. Dr. Guerra served three terms as Chief of Staff of the McAllen Medical Center. He was a member of the Board of Regents of Texas Woman's University. He was appointed to the Task Force on Indigent Health Care. He served on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board from 1985 to 1992, where he was Chairman of Student Services and Vice-Chairman of Health Affairs. In 1996 Dr. Guerra was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus of The University of Texas. Dr. Guerra was Special Advisor to the Health Affairs Department at the University of Texas Pan American. Dr. Guerra served as Medical Health Official to the City of McAllen from 1997 to 2008. Dr. Guerra was a Fourth Degree Knight in the Knights of Columbus, the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization. He is survived by his loving wife of 61 years Berta Guerra and their six children, Robert L. Guerra (Deanna), Mary Guerra-Herkes (Bill), Lauro Guerra, Jr. (Leigh), Jose L. Guerra, Elena Harms (Robert) and Michael M. Guerra (Mindy), nineteen grandchildren and one great granddaughter. In addition, he is survived by two sisters Lavinia Weber Brown and Angelita Cantu and their families. He was preceded in death by his parents Manuel Guerra, Sr. and Lavinia Guerra and by his brother Manuel Guerra, Jr. Pallbearers will be six of his grandsons, Robert L. Guerra, Jr., Jacob Guerra, Robert E. Harms, Jr., Richard Harms, Stephen Harms and John Harms. The family would like to thank Dr. Hector Urrutia, Dr. Noel Lopez, Dr. K. V. Chowdary, Dr. Ruy Mireles, Dr. Michael Jelinek, Mike Fernandez, Rick Fernandez, Amara Hospice and all of the care givers that provided care for Dr. Guerra throughout the years. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the McAllen Pregnancy Center, 717 S. 12th Street, McAllen, Texas 78501. A visitation will be held on Thursday, October 4, 2012 at Sacred Heart Church located at 306 S. 15th Street, McAllen, Texas, from 5:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. with a Rosary following thereafter at 7:00 P.M. Funeral Mass will be held on Friday, October 5, 2012 at 10:00 A.M. at Sacred Heart Church followed by burial at a family cemetery in Ben Bolt, Texas at 3:00 P.M. Kreidlerfuneralhome.com Sign the guest book at www.themonitor.com/obituaries