Manuela was born on March 3, 1958, in Carrizo Springs, Texas, to Guadalupe and Alicia Garza. On March 8, 1980, she married the love of her life, Juan Manuel Flores, in Harlingen, Texas. Together, they began a life filled with hard work, love, family, and perseverance. Eventually, Manuela and Juan left Texas and headed north, where they planted their roots and built a life together. They remained devoted to one another for 46 years.

Manuela was no stranger to hard work. She spent many years picking cherries alongside her husband, never allowing life’s obstacles to define what she could or could not do. Even after she found herself bound to a wheelchair, she continued to find ways to contribute, care for others, and live life on her own terms.

Later in life, Manuela lost her eyesight, but once again, she refused to let that stop her. She learned to read Braille and continued moving forward with the same determination that had carried her through so many challenges. Manuela was a fighter in every sense of the word. If you told her she couldn’t do something, she was likely to prove you wrong. Giving up simply wasn’t in her nature.

She was the glue that held her family together. Her strength, wisdom, stubborn determination, and enormous heart helped keep her family connected through good times and difficult ones. She was a loving wife, a wonderful mother, and a doting grandmother whose family meant everything to her.

Manuela also had a tremendous love for animals. Over the years, her home was shared with ducks, chickens, turkeys, and her little dog, Lisa—affectionately known as “Gremlin.” Her animals were another reflection of her nurturing heart and her ability to find joy in the simple things in life.

She had a true green thumb when it came to flowers, especially roses. Manuela loved her roses and proudly cared for more than 40 rose bushes, along with several cherry trees. While vegetables may not have always been quite as cooperative, her flowers flourished under her care. Her roses were a beautiful reminder of the patience, love, and determination she brought to everything she did Manuela also spent many years working as an inhome health caregiver. She cared for people who were, in many cases, strangers when she first met them, yet she treated each person with the same compassion, respect, and dignity she would want for her own family. Caring for others was not simply a job for Manuela— it was an expression of who she was.

Those who knew Manuela will remember her strength, her fierce determination, her caring nature, and the way she could make it through things that would have caused others to give up. They will remember a woman who could be stubborn when she needed to be, tender when someone needed comfort, and determined enough to accomplish something simply because someone told her she couldn’t.

Above all, Manuela will be remembered for the love she gave her family. Her presence was a source of strength and comfort, and her absence leaves a void that cannot be filled. Though she is no longer here to hold her family together, the love she gave them will continue to do so. Her lessons, her stories, her roses, her laughter, and the countless memories she created will live on through the people she loved most.

Manuela is survived by her loving husband Juan Flores; her children Juan (Desiree) Flores Jr., Rita (Ramon) Silva, Javier (Jamie) Flores, Jose Flores, Angelica (David) Zoulek, Sherry (Christopher) Ritenburgh, and Anjanette Smith; and her grandchildren, Elizabeth, Caleb, Ramon, Audry, Mia, Christopher, Cambelle, Javier, Michael, Benjamin, Emilia, Juliana, Matthew, Dameon, Patrick, Antonio, Cayden, Stiles, Mallory, and Logan.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her Aunt Carolina Sauceda; her brother Jose Garza, her sister Sonia Hernandez, and her grandson Jose Flores Jr.

Burial was held on September 9th in Grand Traverse Memorial Gardens.

Please share condolences with the family at www.martinson.info Arrangements are with the Martinson Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Leelanau.