CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — When a veteran passes, sometimes loved ones left behind have trouble keeping up. That's the case for one local widow whose husband served in the military over parts of five decades.
Guadalupe Ramirez and her husband Narcisso were married more than 25 years, until he passed in 1990. Their home has seen better days, and now she's in danger of not being able to protect it.
“Thank God he always helped me so I made it, up until now,” Ramirez said.
It's been a long 20-plus years since Guadalupe lost Narcisso to esophageal cancer. The couple were married in 1964, an unlikely pairing.
“By the time he left for the service, I was about nine years old or something,” Ramirez said. “If somebody would have told me were were going to get married, I would have told them they were crazy.”
Narcisso Ramirez enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in the 1950's. In the 60’s, he went back into the service, this time in the U.S Army. Then in the 70’s, he joined the Army Reserve where he served until his passing in 1990.
Since his death, the family home has fallen into a bit of disrepair. Narcisso's CCISD pension is not nearly enough pay to fix it.
“Everybody thought I got rich when he passed away,” said Ramirez. “I didn't have any money whatsoever.”
The siding needs to be replaced, the foundation leveled, and a large crack in the den sealed. Then there's the shed in the backyard.
“They told me I needed to demolish that,” said Ramirez.
If the repairs aren't done by Oct. 18, Ramirez won't be able to renew her homeowner's insurance. This widow of a proud veteran is too proud to burden her children with the expense.
“I don't want to ask my kids because they have their own lives to live,” said Ramirez. “They need their money for themselves.”
Ramirez says if her insurance lapses she can get it again, but not until after the issues with her home are fixed.
