Proverbs 31:30 – An emphasized point on Bertha Lopez Garcia’s life is her love for and fear of God

“When I reflect on the 100 years of my life, I consider myself blessed by God. More than 68 years of marriage and more than 66 years of pastoring are testimonies of the hand of God over my life. Many of these blessings were the results of a strong spiritual foundation I experienced in the early years of my life.”

This is the talk of a blessed woman who does not take life for granted. And if you know her at all, you would know this is the talk of the amazing 100-year-young Bertha Lopez Garcia.

One hundred years ago, the earth was blessed with the presence of Ms. Garcia. She is a God-fearing woman who has served in the church faithfully for a large majority of her life, and she is as humble as they come.

Now, one hundred years later, “Mamaw” has four children, 14 grandchildren, 29 great grandchildren, three great great grandchildren, and a whole lot of love to go around. She is the one person her family all truly looks up to, and that is because of her compassion, along with her amazing relationship with her Lord and Savior.

“As the matriarch of both the Lopez and Garcia families, many of the family members approach Bertha with a simple request: ‘Mamaw, can you pray a blessing over me?’ Yes, everyone knows the value of a powerful blessing from her,” Bertha’s son Randy said. “Whether her blessing is spoken in English or Spanish, it is evident that she has a direct connection with God.”

Bertha has both spiritual and physical connections, and people are constantly in awe of that.

People also appreciate everything Bertha does for family and friends. She is a confidant and a wisdom-instiller. She knows right from wrong, and she cares deeply about bringing out the best in everyone all around her.

“Bertha has always been a terrific advisor and counselor,” Randy stated. “One of her strengths is her ability to listen to the hearts of people and their hurts. Her heart of understanding helps her connect with family and friends of all ages.”

Bertha is as genuine as they come, and people look up to her for very good reason.

People also support Bertha the way she has supported them over the years. This became as evident as ever during her 100th birthday luncheon, which featured so many special happenstances.

Bertha is a memory-stricken woman on top of everything else. From making holidays memorable to using her spiritual gifts to help other people, everyone who has ever come across Bertha at some point in their life has something positive to remember her by.

“Over the years, Bertha’s joy was to have the family over her house,” Randy said. “She especially loved to cook and host on Thanksgiving and Christmas. She and her husband, Raul, loved to create family traditions.”

We would be remiss to not talk about how amazing a relationship Bertha had with her late husband. They were like two peas in a pod, and they always supported each other. Raul was a huge advocate for his wife’s pastoral leadership, and together, they pastored El Sendero Church for 66 years. They were just tremendous partners.

And this speaks to Bertha as a whole, as she is someone who invests herself into others. She cares deeply about everyone, particularly her family, and they all are blown away by her relationship with God.

“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Proverbs 31:30”