To Celebrate a Life of Love: Angela Diaz McConnell

August 8, 1948-September 12, 2021

Angela de Jesus Díaz Serna McConnell was born on August 8, 1948, in Medellín, Colombia. At an early age, she felt a calling to religious life and developed a close relationship with our Lord. Then she met John McConnell, and they fell in love. She married John Miner McConnell on July 17, 1971 at Santa Teresita Catholic Church in Medellín, Colombia. They settled down in Miami, Florida and raised three daughters: Bridget, Eileen, and Maureen. They moved to Texas in 1977, living first in Corpus Christi, and then moving to San Antonio in 1988.

Angela was always a devout Catholic and involved in multiple church ministries, such as being a Eucharistic minister and taking communion to residents at the nearby nursing home. She got an Associate’s degree in computer science and also worked as a language interpreter for the courts. After John’s death from leukemia in June 1994, she became a Nationally Certified Catholic Chaplain. Being a hospital chaplain gave her great joy because it combined her love for her Christian faith along with being of service to others and putting her faith into action. As a widow, she again felt a calling to religious life. She joined a Spanish community of religious women in 2017 and began working for a non-profit Christian charity called PRODEIN. In that role, she served the Quechua indigenous people in Perú before moving to Spain and working in Trujillo and Madrid.

Angela passed away on September 12, 2021 in Madrid, Spain after a fierce battle with COVID-19. She is survived by her daughters, six grandchildren (John, Dylan, Megan, Erin, David, and Tristan), and eleven siblings. Her loved ones know she is happy in Heaven with the Lord and all her loved ones who preceded her in death, including her parents and three siblings (Jorge, Estella, and Miriam). A Mass will be celebrated at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church at 11 am on Friday, October 15, 2021.