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Severo Contreras was born in 1914 in Coahuila, Mexico. His mother, Anita, died when he was two, and his father, Victor, re-married. In 1925 Victor brought the family to Texas. Times were hard in Mexico and he wanted to find better job opportunities in the United States. At age eleven, Severo, as the oldest son, had to shoulder many responsibilities for the family, because his father suffered from arthritis and could not work much. Severo has one sister Juana, and three brothers, Jose, Manuel, and Tomas.
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Today, Severo can’t move as well, so his family, especially his grandchildren, carry on the tradition. The people who come generally are old friends, former neighbors, and family, rather than the local neighbors. At the age of 91, Severo enjoys working a little in his yard. He says, “I can’t stay inside, I’d rather be outside.” When thinking about the shrine he built, he remembered, “The Virgen helped me a lot. I was going through bad times and I asked her to help me, and she did.”
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