Texas

Ihab Muhanna, 55

Died January 3, 2021.

Brighter Horizons Academy, Garland, TX

Security Guard

Local news:

A North Texas police department is mourning the loss of a beloved school security guard, deeply involved in building a strong relationship between police and the Muslim community.

Despite being a healthy, former bodybuilder, Ihab Muhanna was hit hard by COVID-19.

“He fainted for a bit and had trouble breathing. That’s why we hospitalized him on Thursday,” said son Tariq Muhanna.

The 55-year-old was placed on a ventilator.

His condition improved but then suddenly worsened late Saturday, into Sunday morning.

His wife and four young sons were unable to say goodbye.

“He went into cardiac arrest,” said Tariq. “His heart was really weak and stressed.”

Muhanna’s funeral was held Monday. Friends and family gathered and shared stories his son had never heard before.

He is being remembered for his service to others.

Muhanna was an armed security guard at a private school in North Garland.

“He was the first one there and the last one to leave, made sure the school was properly protected,” he said.

Muhanna also graduated from Garland’s Citizen Police Academy, Class 47.

“Ihab. He was family to us,” said Lt. Pedro Barineau of the Garland Police Department.

The department shared their grief and Muhanna’s impact in a Facebook post.

“[Muhanna] raised money so that our honor guard officers could have new uniforms,” said Barineau. “He also raised money for our bike unit so they can have new bikes when they’re out patrolling the streets.”

The Palestinian immigrant was instrumental, Barineau said, in building strong community bonds.

“He was an integral part of our relationship with the Muslim community,” he said. “He would continuously ask us: What is it that you guys need and how can we help as the Muslim community?”

Tariq is urging vigilance for anyone who contracts the virus that has claimed the lives of nearly 28,000 Texans.

“Don’t overlook the signs,” he said. “Even mild coughs. Just please take it seriously.”

The family has a GoFundMe account. Click here if you would like to contribute.

Olivia Ramirez, 44

Died December 28, 2020.

Murnin Elementary School, San Antonio, TX

Obituary:

Olivia Michelle Lopez-Ramirez, of San Antonio, TX, 44 years old, passed away on December 28, 2020 at North Central Baptist Hospital of complications related to COVID-19.

Olivia is survived by her 3 sons, Anthony Thomas, Jacob Michael, and Hunter Reed Ramirez. Her Parents, Benito and Hilda I. Lopez, sisters, Odelia Melissa Lopez-Brouse, Brother in Law, Jesse Brouse, and Ofelia Marina Lopez, all from San Antonio, TX. Niece and Nephew, Amelia and Benjamin Brouse.

Olivia was born March 17, 1976, on St. Patrick’s Day, in Corpus Christi, Texas. She attended Newman Elementary School and Mary Help of Christian School in Laredo, TX. She attended, Hobby and Zachary Middle Schools, and graduated in May 1994 from Taft High School. Olivia attended St. Mary’s University, Palo Alto College and received her Bachelor of Arts, Interdisciplinary Studies, Cum Laude, from the University of Texas at San Antonio in May 2006.

Olivia was a dedicated and loving mother to her 3 sons. For 17 years she was a devoted Educator, who taught 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade for Northside ISD at Murnin, Elementary School. She was recognized by the State of Texas in 2014 as Educator of the Year. She loved to teach math, loved to read, and was admired and liked by her students and parents.

She is preceded in death by her Grandparents, Manuel and Delia Lopez of Corpus Christi, TX and Gilbert and Olivia Gonzalez of Robstown, TX.

Celebration of life mass will be held: January 23, 2020, Blessed Sacrament Church, 600 Oblate St., San Antonio, TX. Father Christopher Munoz Officiating.

ROSARY: 9:00 a.m. CELEBRATION OF LIFE MASS: 10:0A.M.(Livestream)

Interment will be at Cordi-Marian in a private ceremony with family only.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Olivia Michelle Lopez-Ramirez Memorial Scholarship, in support of future educators. Contact Linda Guerra at NEF, 210-397-8964 or to make donations thru this link. https://www.give2schools.org/cat.asp?id=57146BFCADBF40279F9E103228DBC87A

Michael Moore, 48

Died January 3, 2020.

Cleveland Middle School, Cleveland, TX

English

Local news:

A Cleveland ISD teacher who died as a result of COVID-19 and other health issues is being remembered as the “epitome of a true educator.” Michael Moore, a Cleveland Middle School teacher, died on Jan. 3 at the age of 48.

CMS Principal Chris McCurry called Moore “a dedicated teacher who was always willing to help a student or a fellow teacher.” For the last two years of his 11 years in education, Moore taught English-Language Arts to sixth-grade students at Cleveland Middle School.

In a phone interview on Wednesday, Cleveland ISD Superintendent Chris Trotter said his thoughts and prayers are with Moore’s family as they cope with his tragic loss. Grief counselors will be available for students and staff this week at Cleveland Middle School.

Trotter said fortunately there hasn’t been an outbreak of COVID-19 cases among Moore’s students. The last time Moore was with them was prior to the Christmas break, more than two weeks ago.

Also on Wednesday, Trotter responded to concerns about the District’s handling of COVID-19 cases in his “In the Know” Facebook video series. Since the pandemic began last March, Trotter has posted 32 videos, many with COVID-19 as the main topic.

“We are doing everything we can, even throughout the break,” Trotter said.

The District has asked all students and staff to wear masks to avoid spreading the illness and custodial staff members are spraying every room at each campus three times a week to avoid the virus lingering on desks or other surfaces.

“We have plenty of cleaning solution to get us through Spring Break. Our purchasing department is getting us more spray for after Spring Break,” Trotter said. “We absolutely do not want to get kids or staff sick.”

Trotter said that masks, social distancing and cleaning protocols are the best defenses right now against COVID-19, and he is frequently in touch with Liberty County Office of Emergency Management and county officials to stay informed on the latest information about vaccines and case numbers.

“The District has a plan and I want to reassure the public that, if we were to change with information from the County, we could go to virtual learning with an overnight switch,” said Trotter.

He said he is working with local and state authorities, and other school district superintendents in the area to monitor vaccine rollouts.

“As the federal and state governments come out with opportunities, we are anticipating vaccines for teaching staff and employees in the Phase 2A and 2B rollout,” he said.

With the virus able to quickly spread from person to person, Trotter said it has been challenging to safeguard the health and safety of 9,000 students and 1,000 staff members, but he is confident in the safety protocols established by the District.

“We are going to continue following CDC guidelines. We have quarantined when we’ve needed it. We set up testing protocols with Texas Emergency Hospital. Thankfully we have had a low number of cases proportionately, but even one case is too many for me,” he said.

Cleveland ISD has set up several email accounts to address concerns and answer questions. To reach your child’s campus, send email to the proper email address listed below:

cottonwood.info@clevelandisd.org
eastside.info@clevelandisd.org
southside.info@clevelandisd.org
northside.info@clevelandisd.org
middleschool.info@clevelandisd.org
highschool.info@clevelandisd.org
douglass.info@clevelandisd.org

Robert Troy Humphrey, 53

Died December 11, 2020.

Walnut Bend Independent School District, Gainesville, TX

Superintendent

Obituary:

Robert Troy Humphrey, a lifelong educator and administrator, passed away unexpectedly on December 11, 2020 at the age of 53 in his home in Gainesville, Texas.

Troy is survived by his wife, Sheila (Young) Humphrey; his children, Reese Taylor and Robert Tyler Humphrey; his brothers, Marcus and Ryan Humphrey; sisters-in-law, Nicki and Amy Humphrey along with several nephews, nieces, aunts, uncles and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents, Robert Earl and Jerry Sue Humphrey and his grandparents, Mary Jewel Bowers and Earl C. and Grace (Bressie) Humphrey.

Troy was born on September 2, 1967 to Robert “Bob” and Jerry Sue Humphrey in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He grew up in Bethany, Oklahoma where he graduated from Putnam City West High School in 1986. He received a bachelor’s degree in social science education from Southwestern Oklahoma State University and later received a master’s degree in educational leadership from Lamar University. He also earned a superintendent certification from West Texas A&M. Troy worked as a teacher, coach and school administrator his entire career. He started in Oklahoma and then moved to East Texas where he started teaching in the Linden/Kildare school district. He taught and coached in several districts throughout Texas and was most recently the principal/superintendent at Walnut Bend ISD outside of Gainesville, Texas.

Troy married his wonderful wife, Sheila (Young) Humphrey on September 7, 2002 and they went on to have 2 children, Reese Taylor and Robert Tyler. He was a devoted husband and father to all of them and enjoyed music, movies and most of all watching and attending sporting events with them. Troy had a love for history that was evident in every classroom he taught in and he passed that on to his students by making history come to life for them. He also was a dedicated coach of many sports during his career and always made his student athletes feel like a part of his family on and off the court. Troy will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and all who knew him.

A graveside service will be held at Bethany Cemetery in Bethany, Oklahoma on December 19 at 2:00pm for family members. There will be viewing/visitation at Mercer-Adams Funeral Home on December 18, 9am-9pm, with family present from 6:30pm-8:30pm. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent to the Friends of Putnam City West Foundation (7209 NW 146 St. OKC, OK 73142) or to the Walnut Bend ISD Scholarship Fund.

David Husmann, 67

December 18, 2020.

Sacred Heart Catholic School, Hallettsville, TX

Football Coach

Local news:

David Husmann, a two-sport athlete at the University of Houston in the early 1970s who went on to become one of the winningest coaches in Texas high school football history, died on Friday. He was 67.

His death, at South Austin Medical Center, was confirmed by his daughter, Angie Ebrey, who said the cause was complications from COVID-19.

Husmann spent parts of three seasons as the backup and eventual starter at quarterback for the Cougars, including Bluebonnet Bowl appearances and final top-15 rankings in the 1973 and ’74 seasons.

As the backup, Husmann scored the final touchdown for No. 14 Houston in a 47-7 win over Tulane in the 1973 Bluebonnet Bowl at the Astrodome, completing a then-school record 11-1 season. The following year he led the run-based UH offense in passing with 524 yards as the Cougars finished 8-3-1 and tied North Carolina State 31-31 in the Bluebonnet Bowl.

Husmann later played catcher for the Cougars for two seasons from 1975-76.

After several stops as an assistant coach, Husmann built a dynasty in the early 1990s at Schulenburg, a Class 2A school about 95 miles west of Houston. During a five-year stretch from 1990-94, the Shorthorns went a combined 69-6 with two state championships and three perfect regular seasons.

Schulenburg won back-to-back state titles in 1991 and 1992. Under Husmann, Schulenburg won 139 games and made the state playoffs 11 times in 13 seasons from 1985-98.

He coached eight seasons at Gladewater, making a trip to the state semifinals in 2001, and five seasons at Weimar. He coached the Weimar girls golf team to a state title in 2011.

Husmann was never away from football for long, coming out of retirement on at least three occasions, his daughter said, including in August when he was asked to become athletic director and head coach at Hallettsville Sacred Heart.

Entering this year, Husmann had a career record 217-91-1 and 16 playoffs appearances in 26 seasons.

“He was his happiest on the football field,” Ebrey said. “He kept a sketchpad under his chair in the living room while he watched football on TV. He would write down plays and talk about them. I picture him in Heaven calling plays or walking up and down the sideline. It was his gift. He was definitely meant to do it. He loved football.”

A 1971 graduate of Madison High School in Houston, Husmann is survived by his wife and junior high sweetheart, Karen, and three children – Angie, Kristin and Bonnie – and 10 grandchildren. His father, Edward, played 11 seasons in the NFL with three teams, including the Dallas Cowboys (1960) and the Oilers (1961-65).

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Zelene Blancas, 35

Died December 27, 2020.

Dr. Sue A. Shook Elementary School, El Paso, TX

First Grade

Local news:

Zelene Blancas, a first grade bilingual teacher who posted a viral video of her first grade students giving each other friendly greetings two years ago, died from COVID-19, according to a former co-worker.

Blancas, who taught at Dr. Sue Shook Elementary School, allegedly died of COVID-19 and passed away this week, former Socorro ISD colleague Patty Flores said on social media.

“Ms. Blancas was a dedicated teacher who loved her students and provided a positive, loving environment for them. She had a light that shined from within and was a positive influence on all those around her,” Flores said in an email.

In her social media post, Flores said she and Blancas worked together as fourth grade bilingual teachers.

“She was my colleague and friend and simply a beautiful person all around. She will be greatly missed but her legacy of kindness, love and joy will carry on with all those who were blessed to have known her,” Flores said.

According to a GoFundMe page seemingly started by her family to raise money for her treatment, Blancas tested positive for COVID-19 on Oct. 20, had to be hospitalized on Oct. 24 and was remanded to the intensive care unit.

An update was posted to the GoFundMe page this week, stating Blancas was still fighting in the ICU as of Dec. 26. The GoFundme page had raised $18,250 of its $15,000 goal with more than 400 donors to the campaign as of Tuesday afternoon.

Hundreds of people were still donating money to the fund on Tuesday, some writing comments praising Blancas for her character and her work teaching children.

Flores said she worked with Blancas three years teaching fourth grade, before Blancas began teaching first grade and Flores moved to teach at another elementary school within the district.

“Regardless of the grade level she taught she was an inspiration and motivation for her students,” Flores said. “What she taught all of us about creating that positive environment, even during long distance learning, will never be forgotten.”

The video showing Blancas’ students giving one student high fives, hugs and handshakes received more than 13.6 million views in November 2018 and had 22.2 million views as of Tuesday.

According to a prior story written about the viral video in the El Paso Times, the video showed an example of a new educational initiative at the time called social-emotional learning, which teaches young students how to cope with their emotions, handle conflict and develop interpersonal skills.

One student was chosen at random to be the recipient of friendly greetings and classmates chose one of four greetings from a set of four greetings pictured on an adjacent wall.

As the students left for the day, they lined up and chose which greeting to bestow on the selected student, allowing students to feel in control of greetings they receive and allowing them to go home happy, Blancas told the Times.

“I want them to go home feeling like I’ll be waiting for them here the next day, or for them to feel like they’ll have a safe place to come back to and learn in a safe environment,” Blancas said two years ago.

Friends praise Blancas for teaching, advocacy

Viry Lujan’s children loved their teacher, Ms. Blancas. Lujan’s son was in Blancas’ class two years ago and her daughter was in Blancas’ most recent class.

“My children loved her very much, just like us,” Lujan said. “The news really broke our hearts, we’re going to miss her a lot. She was an excellent person and she easily won everyone’s heart.”

After Blancas’ video of her students went viral, she became involved in a nonprofit organization called Pinksocks Life, Inc. which aims to promote human connection around the world “by socially supporting other public charities,” according to its website.

A Pinksocks member sent Blancas a pair of pink socks after seeing her video and then 32 pairs of pink socks were given to Blancas’ first grade class. In 2019, Blancas’ now second grade class gifted pink socks to her new first grade class.

Following the 2019 mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart, 1,337 pairs of pink socks were sent to students at Shook Elementary School and on Nov. 19, 2019, a “Kindness” pep rally was held, encouraging students to wear their pink socks on Mondays and teaching them about kindness in the process.

Nick Adkins, co-founder of Pinksocks, said Blancas was an example of the best of humanity.

“The ripple effect of love and kindness that she put out into the universe through teaching her kids through the years is immeasurable. Ms. Blancas and the entire staff and students at Shook are what we should all strive for each and every day, each and every now. She lives on in the love that she taught and spread. I am grateful for her. We all are,” Adkins said.

Phillip Jimenez, 49

Died December 22, 2020.

Sam Houston High School, San Antonio, TX

Special Education, Football Coach

Local news:

Considered a father figure to many of the athletes at Sam Houston, Hurricanes assistant football coach Phil Jimenez died Tuesday morning.

He was 49.

Jimenez had been hospitalized with COVID-19 since Dec. 15 and had been on a ventilator since Dec. 17. On Tuesday, Jimenez went into cardiac arrest and died.

“We’re heartbroken and devastated,” said Debra Jimenez-Munoz, Phil’s sister. “We were really praying for a miracle. We knew the chances were slim. We feel robbed. COVID’s taken a lot of people, and now, my brother.”

Jimenez was the youngest of four children. After graduating from Burbank in 1989, Jimenez attended Southwest Texas State (now Texas State), to study acting. After pursuing that field for several years, Jimenez contacted his defensive line coach at Burbank — George De Leon — about what he needed to do to get into coaching.

De Leon told him he needed to get a teaching certificate. And once he did that, he eventually made his way to the Sam Houston football staff seven years ago when he became De Leon’s coaching colleague with the Hurricanes.

De Leon first became acquainted Jimenez at Burbank when he needed a nose guard to fill a varsity spot for a scrimmage against Judson.

“They told me he was a freshman, and I said I don’t care,” said De Leon, who retired last year. “From what I’ve seen the last two weeks, he does a good job, and he’s very good at it. … He wasn’t the best defensive tackle I’ve ever had, but he was the best you could ask for when the time came. He rose to the occasion. He was tough and he was smart. That was the thing. You taught him one thing, and he knew it.”

Quincy Stewart, who just completed his first season as the Hurricanes’ head coach said Jimenez made an immediate impression on him when he first arrived at the Sam Houston campus.

“His love for Sam and the relationship-building ability with the community just spoke volumes to me,” Stewart said. “He was truly loved by the community and the school and he was a real big asset to my coaching staff.”

Jimenez-Munoz said her brother found coaching to be a rewarding profession.

“He was a father figure for many of the kids that perhaps didn’t even have a father or much of a home life,” Jimenez-Munoz said. “He was influential for many.”

Stewart said Jimenez carried an upbeat demeanor.

“Phil always had a smile on his face no matter what the day was or how the day went,” Stewart said. “He’d always say, ‘Coach, there’s a brighter side to these things.’ He always made sure that you would see the brighter things.”

Jimenez was the defensive line coach in football and coached baseball, soccer and track.

“We’re dealing with it tough,” Stewart said. “It’s going to be hard to move on with somebody who meant so much to our program.”

Jimenez-Munoz said the school is planning a memorial service and planting a tree in his name. The team will wear a “PJ” patch on their uniforms next season.

“This is not a thing we’ll let go,” Stewart said. “He’ll be on our coaching staff for a while, and we’ll honor him in everything we do as long as I’m at Sam Houston.”

Ihab Muhanna, 55

Olivia Ramirez, 44

Michael Moore, 48

Librado Lee Navarro Jr., 67

Robert Troy Humphrey, 53

David Husmann, 67

Zelene Blancas, 35

Friends praise Blancas for teaching, advocacy

Kenneth McVay, 57

Phillip Jimenez, 49

Elaine Harrison, 64