1954 - 2023
Rosary Service will be held at Cook Walden (6100 N Lamar Blvd, Austin, Texas 78752) on Friday, July 21st at 7pm. Memorial Mass will be held at Saint Mary Cathedral (203 E 10th Street, Austin, Texas 78701) on Saturday, July 22nd at 9am. Celebration of Life will take place at the Vertical Chapel (400 Old Post Rd, Kyle, TX 78640) on Saturday, July 22nd at 12pm. For more information, please visit https://www.fuller-sheffieldfuneral.com/obituary/leticia-garza-falcon. Please join us as we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Leticia Garza-Falcón with her loved ones.
Dr. Leticia Garza-Falcón, a cherished mother, beloved grandmother, distinguished educator, scholar and translator, passed away on Sunday, May 28th after a courageous five-year battle with cancer.
Born in Port Lavaca, Texas, Dr. Leticia Garza-Falcón was the daughter of Roberto and Alicia Garza. Her life was marked by a tireless dedication to the pursuit of knowledge and she inspired countless individuals with her determination and intellect. She was an avid swimmer, bike rider, dancer, and a huge fan of Elvis Presley. Leticia loved to sing traditional Conjunto songs and translate them to English as she sang for her kids.
In 1977, Leticia earned her B.A. in English and Bilingual Education at California State University-East Bay. In 1984, she earned her Masters in English at the University of Texas-Pan American. Shortly after, Leticia and her children moved from McAllen to Austin, Texas. There, she pursued a doctorate in Comparative Literature from the University of Texas at Austin, defending her dissertation and receiving her Ph.D in 1993.
Dr. Garza-Falcón inspired many through her research at the University of Texas at Austin, her lectures at the University of Salamanca, Spain, her directorship of the Gender & Ethnic Studies program at Texas State University (bit.ly/43l5ee3), and through her work at the University of Colorado at Denver. Dr. Garza-Falcón was most notably recognized for her publications of Andalusian Poems, Gente Decente: A Borderlands Response to the Rhetoric of Dominance and her introduction in El Mesquite. She also contributed her research and writing to the Texas State University System’s centennial publication A Texas State of Mind.
As the esteemed director of the Center Multicultural and Gender Studies program at Texas State University, Dr. Garza-Falcón left an indelible mark on the academic world and her community. She served tirelessly to illuminate the accurate history of Mexican Americans and promote women in leadership. In 1999, She was awarded the Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education's (TACHE) Distinguished Faculty Award.
In her later years, Dr. Leticia Garza-Falcón founded her own Spanish/English Language School, where she conducted private lessons for adults and children from Mexico and the Rio Grande Valley. She was a dedicated teacher, incorporating her own techniques to engage her students in learning the art of conversational English.
Dr. Leticia Garza-Falcón is survived by her five children: Alicia (Jerry) Rivera, Laurie (Chris Dufau) Falcón, Sara Falcón, Román (Mariesa) Falcón and Gregorio Sanchez, as well as five grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. Her legacy lives on in her family, her students, and the countless lives she touched through her work and her activism. As Leticia would say, “The show must go on.”