Lourdes "Des" Jorda-Rodriquez

Lourdes “Des” Jorda-Rodriguez was born February 7, 1966 passed away January 5, 2022 after a painful and exhausting battle with pancreatic cancer, surrounded by her loving family. The loss runs deep and it hurts but the love and what she has left with us is even greater.

Des and her twin sister, Bernadette were born in Manila, Philippines. They went to a Catholic school in Manila until 2 ^nd grade. Their father migrated to the United States in 1970 by himself to find a better life and opportunity for his family. Two years later, Des, her Mom and sister followed. They lived in a humble two bedroom apartment in downtown Los Angeles where Des and her sister shared a small room. Growing up in downtown Los Angeles was a bit chaotic and not the best place to bring up a family, so their parents decided to move the family to West Covina where they bought a house. That would be their home for the next 3 decades. Des and her sister went to Nogales High School and attended Cal Poly Pomona in California.

Des met her Prince Charming, Ric and got married on June 12, 1993. Both were free spirits and full of adventure. Two years later, they were blessed with their first son, CJ and then came Andrew 2 years later.  They continued to live in Monrovia, California until they decided to move to Plano, Texas to follow her twin sister; soon after their parents also made the move to Texas. Des was always a positive force. Her connection with people and the beautiful side of life was shown in the way she decorated her home with her numerous collections of Hallmark ornaments and Starbucks mugs and how she would create beautiful displays using things that could remain displayed for years.

Des had an enormous heart and outgoing personality that allowed her to make friends easily and her spontaneous manner and instinctive ability to relate to people always placed her at the center of the action. Whether going out with friends, planning a party, leading church events, or just being the "cool" Aunt to her adoring niece and nephew, she loved life and lived it to the fullest. Among other things she also loved music, dancing, movies, her iPad and all hi-tech gadgets.

Des was a loving, caring and compassionate soul who had a unique gift in that she could console, encourage, and make someone feel better just by being around her. She was a devoted daughter, sister, aunt, grandchild and friend. Her mischievous and infectious smile, love of life and generous heart will be her legacy left behind for those who will deeply miss her.

Above all else, she was a mother, wife, partner and best friend. Des loved her family. She loved her children, CJ and Andrew. She was a fighter for her children in pushing them to grow and develop while at the same time tempering this energy with a loving understanding that allowed them to make their own decisions. Her relationship with her husband, Ric, was one of great love and understanding. Everyone could see the love, hear the words of love and feel the love they had for each other. Throughout their marriage they loved making friends. They especially loved being with friends at church, cookouts, get-togethers, attending parties, and whenever possible traveling to be with family.

Des is survived by her loving husband, Ric; sons, CJ and Andrew; parents, Roberto and Lucia Jorda; identical twin sister, Bernadette and brother-in-law, Joey; niece, Joelle (considered to be their triplet, except she arrived 23 years later); nephew, Jeremy and loving, constant furry companions, Toffee, Mocha and Mac. Des’ story would not be complete without mentioning her loving Ate (Auntie Mima); Uncle Tembong; many aunts, uncles and cousins in the Philippines; mother-in-law, Luz Rodriguez; brothers-in-law; sisters-in-law; other nieces and nephews and her many, many friends here in Texas and in California and the impact they had on her life.

There will be a Visitation/Viewing service to celebrate Des’ life on Friday, January 14,2022 from 6:00pm - 9:00pm at Our Lady of Angels, 1914 Ridgeview Drive Allen, TX 75013.  A Funeral Mass will also be held at Our Lady of Angels on Saturday, January 15, 2022 at 11:00am.