Matilde Sara Villafranca Germaine, 89, of Montell died on Aug. 3, 2016, at her residence. She was born on Nov. 3, 1926, in Laredo to Matilde (Gutierrez) and Luis Villafranca. The family says she was the eldest of seven children who grew up in a loving, close-knit family; she was beautiful, and had an outgoing and generous personality; she loved family, movies, and music, and was a natural song bird. According to the family, around the age of 12 she began working to help support the family during the depression. She met Richard Germaine as World War II was ending. They were married on Dec. 28, 1947, in Laredo. According to the family, one of the experiences they were able to share was being in a band where he was the drummer and she was the singer. The couple traveled to Michigan and California, then eventually back to Texas, settling in the Hill Country of Montell in 1976, where they built a home. Germaine worked for years for the Nueces River Authority in Uvalde as an executive secretary. The family says she was active in the Catholic Church and loved leading hymns at mass. She was also a member of the Montell Country Club. The family says her favorite activities included quilting, sewing, and baking; she was a talented seamstress who could design and create gowns and heirloom quilts; and she was a loving mother and wife to whom family was the number one priority. She is survived by three daughters, Louise I. Humphrey, and Mary E. Mumme and husband, Allen, all of Montell, and Patricia A. Platt, of West Palm Beach, Florida; eight grandchildren, Louise M. Prouty, Sean A. Noblett, Travis Wayne Humphrey III, Jennifer L. Lippert, Andrew M. Humphrey, Richard L. Humphrey, Alexander G. Platt, and Ashley N. Calk; 11 great-grandchildren, Michael L. Prouty Jr., Ashley M. Prouty, Diana L. Gallup, Travis W. Humphrey IV, Matthew D. Humphrey, Sarah Elizabeth Humphrey, Zachary Noblett, Zane Noblett, Christopher A. Lippert, Brandon K. Lippert, and Adam C. Easty; and two sisters, Beatriz Rose Gee of Pennsylvania, and Maria Irma Peña of Laredo. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; three sisters, Berta Alicia Rodriguez, Raquel Christina Skinner, and Maria Valentina Villafranca; and one brother, Ramon Amado Villafranca. A visitation was held from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Aug. 7, 2016, at Nelson Funeral Chapel in Camp Wood. A mass of Christian burial was held on Aug, 8, 2016, at 1 p.m. at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Camp Wood, followed by interment at the Montell Cemetery. The Rev. Adrian Adamik officiated. Pallbearers were Wayne Humphrey III, Andrew Humphrey, Richard Humphrey, Chris Lippert, Allen Mumme, and Richman Phipps. Honorary pallbearers were Con Mims, Sean Noblett, and Mike Wismann.
NELSON FUNERAL HOME OF CAMP WOOD.
