Irene (Esparza) Rodriguez, age 81, of Hondo went to be with the Lord on Friday, Oct. 16, 2009. She was born Oct. 20, 1927, in Hondo, the daughter of Emilio and Francisca (Ortiz) Esparza. She married Atilano Rodriguez in 1946 and was a homemaker. She was a member of the Guadalupana Society and worked as a fulltime volunteer and later as a substitute at the Medina Regional Hospital Gift Shop. Irene was preceded in death by her father, Emilio Esparza; stepfather, Urbano Sanchez; mother, Francisca O. Acuna; husband, Atilano Rodriguez Sr.; sister, Mary Ann Esparza; and brothers, Ismael Esparza Guadalupe Sanchez and Joe Ramirez; and two grandchildren, Albert Jr. and Robert Ray Reyes. She is survived by her sons, Cleto "Clay' Rodriguez of Corpus Christi, Atilano "Tilley" Rodriguez Jr. of Hondo; daughters, Maria "May" Soto, Florence "Flo" Rodriguez and Adelina "Nina" Rodriguez, all of Hondo and Noemi Rodriguez of Dallas; granddaughters, Leticia Wardell, Corina Rodriguez and Monica Soto, all of Dallas; grandsons, Danny Campos of Hondo and Eddie Rodriguez of Dallas; 20 great-grandchildren and 13 great-great-grandchildren; Also, sisters, Eva Clor of Marion, Melie McIntosh of McQueeney, Corina McCready of Albuquerque NM, Beatrice Sanchez of Corpus Christi, Mary Rose Segrest of Dallas, Angie Velez of Andrews; and brothers, Tony and Leo Sanchez of Dallas, Ray Esparza of Canyon, Frank, Jessie and John Esparza, all of Amarillo. Rosary will be recited Wednesday, Oct. 21, at the Guinn-Horger Chapel and Funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m., Thursday, at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church. Pallbearers are Eddie Rodriguez, Daniel Campos, Barney Gonzales, Rudy Gonzales, Juan Jose Costa, Robert Bacon, Sandy Sandoval, and Johnny Sanchez. Interment will be at Hondo Cemetery, Guadalupe Section