Abel Fonseca is a San Benito native, boxer, boxing coach, and a longtime Site Coordinator for the San Benito CISD ACE After School Program at Miller Jordan Middle School and Collegiate Academy. He can be reached at afonseca@sbcisd.net.
Many in the Rio Grande Valley believe that family members who have passed away never truly leave us, finding small, special ways to show they are still watching over us.
These stories share local accounts of loved ones returning to offer comfort, from sensing a comforting presence in a cold room to signs appearing during emotional moments such as birthdays.
Covered by an Angel: A Battle with Cancer
In 2018, I was fighting a tough blood cancer called ALL. The treatments in Houston left me weak and exhausted.
To rest, I stayed with my Uncle Joe and Tia Olga in Stanton, Texas.
One night, I felt very sick. I asked Uncle Joe if I could sleep in his youngest son Joey’s bedroom. Joey had passed away from the same cancer.
Uncle Joe kept that room locked and never let anyone sleep there, but he could see I was hurting and said yes. I went into Joey’s room, feeling like my cousin was going to look after me like a guardian angel.
Late that night, a violent, freezing chill took hold. At exactly 3 a.m., the unmistakable sensation of someone gently pulling the blankets up to cover me and warm me up brought comfort.
Drifting back to sleep before fully processing the moment, I did a quick check of the dark house and found everyone else fast asleep. Nobody was awake.
I was convinced that it was Joey, reaching across the divide to care for a cousin fighting the very same war he had fought.
Remembering Cobretti Rae Rodriguez: The Cross
For a grieving mother, a child’s birthday brings both immense love and deep heartache.
Local resident Joanna Galvan recently faced this emotional milestone on June 9, the day her late son, Cobretti, would have turned 18.
One day, Joanna sat quietly at home, reflecting on her son.
Her eyes rested on a decorative cross in the room. The cross is solar-powered and requires direct sunlight to illuminate. Because it had spent the entire day indoors, away from windows, it remained completely dark.
Suddenly, without a single beam of light touching it, the cross flared to life. It glowed brightly and stayed illuminated for a long time, defying all physical laws.
In that quiet, breathtaking moment, Joanna knew it wasn’t a mechanical glitch; it was Cobretti’s unmistakable way of telling her that his spirit remains vibrant and near.
Brotherly Love: The Vintage Shirts
Averick Rodriguez, 16, shares a powerful bond with his brother, Cobretti Rae Rodriguez, who recently passed away.
When Cobretti was still with us and always will be with us, their grandmother, Minerva Galvan, kept telling the two brothers that they needed to take more photos together. Taking her advice, they went out and took a special picture together.
Later that year, tragedy struck, and Cobretti died.
Averick runs a small local business selling vintage clothing and other items. While sourcing inventory in Brownsville, he was digging through a massive pile of thousands of shirts.
Suddenly, he pulled out the two exact shirts, in the exact sizes, that he and Cobretti wore in that special photo.
Out of thousands of scattered items, the two shirts were sitting right next to each other.
Was it just a coincidence? It is hard to believe so.
Finding those exact shirts together in a mountain of clothes felt like an unmistakable sign from above. It was Cobretti’s way of letting Averick know that he is still watching over him, walking beside him, and feeling incredibly proud of his younger brother’s business.
Nothing Ever Really Dies
As told by San Benito News Publisher, Ray Quiroga, American astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson said that nothing ever really dies.
As he explained on a recent podcast, all living molecules live on. If we are buried, our molecules break down, providing nourishment for the insects and bacteria that consume our tissue.
What’s arguably more intriguing is his explanation of the cremation process, in which molecules begin to enter the atmosphere and eventually into space, where they travel into infinity and may even return as a recognizable lifeform.
In fact, he explained, loved ones can literally track how far those molecules have traveled into the ether since the day the body is cremated. But what happens to the conscious and the spirit? That’s the big question.
Personally, Quiroga can’t say he’s ever experienced anything that could be defined as supernatural involving loved ones who have passed, except for a recent experience involving the beloved family Yorkie, who passed last October.
Sickly since birth, Rocket, as he was named, was the runt of the litter, the Texas Hill County pup gifted to Quiroga’s daughter because he was the dog nobody wanted. But what he lacked in good health and size, he more than made up for in doggie intelligence and charisma.
Small enough to fit in a satchel, he quickly became known around town and never met a child he didn’t love, and vice versa.
Rocket loved life and lived it to the fullest during his three short years on earth; alas, his ailments caught up with him, and he passed rather abruptly, breaking their hearts in the process.
The family mourned for a month, but in the weeks after his passing, the family noticed signs of his presence around the house, such as his scent, the sounds he’d made, and the warmth of his body when he lay next to them on the couch.
From a scientific standpoint, those occurrences can be explained, but if we know the molecules of living organisms move on, maybe the energy of those living things lingers as well.
Regardless, when it comes to life and death, Quiroga adheres to three personal truths: first, despite all of humanity’s advancements and knowledge, there is still so much we don’t know. Second, what they say is true – no one really dies until they are forgotten. Third, no matter what one’s personal beliefs, when life finally ends, the pain truly subsides.
Footsteps in the Kitchen
A local woman at her computer heard her front door open, keys land on the table, and footsteps approach, just like her husband’s routine. Despite being home alone, the experience was interpreted by her family as a loving, familiar, sign from a past family member checking in.
The Guardian Nurses at Dolly Vinsant
At the former Dolly Vinsant Memorial Hospital in San Benito, patients and staff often felt a comforting presence, or heard quiet voices during difficult times.
Many believe these experiences were the spirits of dedicated healthcare workers still watching over the sick, and providing comfort, even after passing.
The Squeeze on the Foot: Monserrat’s Sign
Another beautiful sign comes from Monserrat Garcia, who grew up right here in San Benito. When Monserrat was just 16 years old, her father passed away. Losing him was incredibly hard, and she missed him deeply.
When she was a little girl, her dad had a special habit. He would always walk up to her bedside and gently squeeze her foot to let her know he was there.
One night, while Monserrat was lying in bed thinking about how much she missed him, she pulled the blankets up to go to sleep. Suddenly, she felt a distinct, gentle squeeze right on her foot. In that exact moment, the sadness lifted.
She knew it was her dad reaching out from heaven to tell her she was going to be okay.
A Mother’s Love from Above: Amalia’s Hand
Father Francisco Villasana from Brownsville shared another touching story about how his mother from up above looked out for them. His son, also named Francisco, was playing in a soccer tournament in McAllen on a very hot day.
Father Francisco and his wife, Susana, were driving just 10 minutes away from the field when their son walked to a nearby store with a friend to grab a cold drink.
Suddenly, the heat caught up to the young man. He got severe leg cramps, collapsed to the ground, and could not move.
While he lay there helplessly, a kind woman stopped to help. Remarkably, she looked almost exactly like Father Francisco’s late mother, Amalia Villasana, who had passed away years ago.
The woman knelt down, slipped her hand under the young man’s back to support him, and kept him calm. She used his phone to call his father. Since his son has a medical condition called Rhabdomyolysis, Father Francisco knew he had to hurry.
The woman stayed by his side until the ambulance arrived. Later on, she took Susana’s, mother of Francisco, phone number and even called the very next day just to check up on him.
When the family sat down at home to talk about what happened, Father Francisco and Susana realized something amazing. Nobody else had stopped to help that day, but this mysterious woman did. They both agreed: checking up on family and helping someone in need was exactly what Amalia used to do.
They knew Amalia had sent an angel to protect her grandson.
Hope Lives On
These stories remind us that love never truly dies.
Even when our hearts are heavy with loss, our family members find beautiful ways to show us they are still right here.
Whether it is a warm blanket on a freezing night or a cross lighting up, these moments are gentle reminders that we are never truly alone. Hope lives on in San Benito, and the bonds we share with the people we love can never be broken.