Margarita Cruz Pena Jackson

March 15, 1943 – March 01, 2022

Margarita Cruz Pena was born to Ysidro and Concepcion Pena on March 15, 1943, in Robstown, Texas.  She was also called "Tia", "Maggie" and "My Maggie" and "Margaret".  She was the youngest of fifteen children:

Brothers: Gilberto, Felipe, Hilario, Antonio, Fernando, Servando, Jose, Julio, Ernesto, and Leonardo

Sisters: Osbelia, Ofelia, Maria Louisa and Thomasita

The family moved from Hochheim, Texas to Robstown, Texas in 1930.  Ysidro was a farmer in his younger years, but ultimately joined the Police force in Robstown.  Ysidro made sure that the children went to church and to private school.

According to her siblings Maggie was a bit spoiled, as being the baby, she did not have to work as hard as the other children. And we believe that she would have agreed with this statement!

After graduating High School, she moved to Houston to live with her sister Osbelia and her husband.  She went to work in 1961 for S.H. Kress Co. in the Cosmetics Department.  This is where she met her husband Walter Jackson (part of his job was to bring stock to her department). Their first date was in 1965, when they attended the fifth Astros game played in the Astrodome. They were married at Fort Gordon, Georgia on October 15, 1966, and had one child Laurie Ann, born in 1968.

According to her daughter, she was selfless and always put her first.  She was very forgiving and always saw the good in others.  She was the reason that Laurie wanted to be a stay-at-home mom.  They laughed a lot over the years, and she has lots of great memories of her as a wonderful mother and grandmother to her children.  Recently, Laurie was also told by one of Maggie's longtime friends that when they spoke on the phone, he could hear the smile and love in her voice when she spoke out her and the grandchildren.  Side note: she loved Pecan Sandies!

In her younger years one of her siblings described her as always having "big hair", and as you can see by the pictures of her in her youth, you can understand why!

One of her nephews said that Maggie remembered when they brought him home from the hospital as a newborn, and that she could remember that day.  This stood out to him as a special memory of her.

In the late 1970's Maggie started a career in the dental field and worked her way up to the Office Manager of a Dental Office.  She was a hard worker with a great work ethic.  She ultimately retired after many years managing this office.

A Grandson remembers one night he and a friend decided to sneak a car out of the driveway. They did not start the car, but rather rolled it around the corner and down the street before starting the engine.  At which point his phone rang, and it was Maggie telling him he better get back home.  She did have great hearing! 😊

Maggie loved Sonic and could always be counted on the ask someone "weren't you going to Sonic?". This was her way of ensuring she got that cheeseburger she wanted.  Many times, we just said yes Maggie…did you want something? Knowing the answer already.

Maggie loved her siblings and even though some where far away in distance and travel was not easy, she tried to keep in touch with them as best she could.

One niece remembered a piece of relationship advice from Maggie that went like this: "If you want to be with someone, but they don't want to be with you, you don't need them".  This niece said she has used this all her life, and it has served her well.

Another niece described her as "making me laugh, but also giving me advice even if I did not think I needed it."  She went on to tell a story of how Maggie took in her family to live with her (including two great-nephews).  She gave them a place to stay and that she always made them feel welcome and at home.  The boys knew that no matter what, Maggie would always love them. In addition, now there are a great grandniece and nephew loved to spend time with her, and their favorite thing to do was reading books outside.  To this family Maggie will always be their Guardian Angel.

Maggie was a very giving person to her entire family and always took care of others needs before her own. She has been described as strong, big hearted, the best woman I ever knew, Guardian Angel, a fighter, a realist and that she knew how to love unconditionally with an amazing will to live.  She spent the last years of her life in a nursing home and based on the comments from the staff, she gave love to others and was loved by those who knew her.

Maggie struggled with several health issues, but through the years was able to overcome some and survive others.  Ultimatly, she was not strong enough to fight them any longer.  On March 01, 2022, she was released to claim her place among the heavens.  She truly spent her life in the service of others.   There is a scripture that describes what awaits her:

"Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love him."   1 Corinthians 2:9

Maggie is survived by siblings Servando, Ernesto, and Maria Louisa.  Daughter Laurie Ann and Grandchildren Caleb and Taylor along with two great grandchildren and many, many nieces, nephews and grand-nieces and nephews.

Instead of flowers to the family or other events please donate to the American Liver Foundation @ https://liverfoundation.org on her behalf.