LAURA CANALES-EULOGY-JAVIER VILLANUEVA
AUGUST 19, 1954 - APRIL 16, 2005
An unexpected hardship of life, is the
death of a loved one….. No matter how much we prepare for and think
about death, when it comes we’re never really ready….. No matter
how much we try to prepare ourselves, the death of a loved one
always catches us off guard… and stops us right in our tracks.
Today we have to pause for a moment and
catch our breath, because death has caught us by surprise once
again. We pause for a moment in the journey of life to celebrate,
remember and mourn the passing of a life…. The life of Laura
Canales, a loving daughter, sister, friend…. and legend.
When I was asked to deliver this eulogy,
I thought to myself…and sighed, how can I put into a few words…. so
much there is to say about this woman… One of my favorite tunes of
the legendary group, “Los Chachos” phrased the words…..”Yo conoci
mujeres…pero como tu ninguna!” I think that this is a good way to
get started…..I’ve met many women in my life…..but none with all the
senses that Laura had…. "She had more than five senses: More than
sight, she had insight; more than hearing, she listened; more than
taste, she had judgment; more than touch, she had feeling; more than
smell, she had sensitivity." And to top it off….. she had an angelic
voice. Listening to Laura sing….was..to me…like hearing an angel
sing.
But... It was her ideals which drove
her. I know of very few people who have demonstrated such consistent
fidelity in their ideals over a lifetime, than Laura Canales did.
Most of us change as we grow older, get a little more radical
sometimes, more often we get a little more conservative. But Laura’s
devotion to her ideals didn't waver one bit over her 50 years of
life.
Over the past few days, I’ve been asked by many radio stations, tv
stations and newspaper publications to describe Laura briefly…..
BRIEFLY??? I ask…. I quickly snap back……. Hmmmm…. Laura was about as
tame as a wild barracuda!…and they whip back at me……Excuse me…. And
I chuckle and explain to them, that when it came to her ideals….when
it came to her goals…and when it came to her perspective on life….
There was no compromising….. she knew what she wanted…and she knew
how to get it. To Laura…..when it came to HER perspective on
business….. it was plain and simple……either LEAD….FOLLOW…..OR GET
THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY!!
Whatever the nature of our relationship with Laura was, whether it
was business, friendship or family…. we pause to give thanks to God
for having been able to walk the road of life with her, for having
the privilege of knowing her and sharing life with her. Today we
come together with our different memories of that life. We come to
share those memories and experiences. We come to remember that each
one of those memories and experiences was a gift from God, given as
a blessing as we have walked along our journey of life.
I bet you feel that you didn’t know
Laura long enough…that you wanted to know her more. But there were
people who didn’t know her at all and will never get to know her,
other than through her music. So in a way, it’s already amazing for
us to have shared what we did with her
Lives end every minute, every second.
But when it’s someone you know, someone you love, you still don’t
get it. Not in your heart…even if you understand it in your head,
you just don’t get why they have to be gone.
For a long time, it seems like nothing
really helps. Words don’t help, actions don’t help. Because that
big “WHY” question just thunders in your head..
I don’t know if that question ever
really goes away completely, but I know for me, I try to remember
that before Laura died……she lived! Laura had a life that was
connected to our own. It was connected through her songs. Without
even meeting her, we felt like we knew her….because she connected….
In the past few days, we have received
over 12, 000 posts and messages of condolence through our website at
the Hall of Fame, I have tried to read all the messages personally,
but I will need about 6 months to be able to do so. But as I tired
to read as many of them as possible, I came across one that stood
out and grabbed me…..
A young woman from Houston posted a
message on our website and I’ll quote from it…
“I can remember being about 5 yrs old
going to a ballroom in South Houston where there was always a dance
going on.” She wrote, “ Being a small kid and not liking the NOISE….
I was like "I wanna go home, I hate this music!!". Well, my parents
were the kind that LOVED to go to a good Tejano dance. So when the
weekend came, I knew it.. I was going to be dragged to another
dance..
I got older (a few yrs) and can remember
going to the dance with my parents (again) but this time it was a
little different.. before I always saw men singing, this time it was
a lady. I was like… wow! This music that was NOISE to me before,
got my attention when I saw her sing. After her first set, I can
remember telling my mom I wanted to meet her... she looked @ me like
I was crazy, she didn’t believe me.. after I met her and asked her
to sign a piece of cardboard (from my popcorn), I was like "wow!!" I
met a famous person... She was very nice and down to earth.. After
the dance, she even went up to me asked me if I liked her music, and
I said "yeah" and she gave me a hug and left. I felt kind of
special. A few weeks past and then the dreadful weekend came again,
and again I was like "I don’t want to go!".. Then my mom said
"remember that lady we went to go see? well, she's playing again and
were going!" I was like "I like her, she was nice!!" We went to see
her...and she remembered me... after that, Laura has always been my
favorite female singer... now that she has gone to a better place, I
feel sad and hurt.. and tears slowly roll down my face. So I would
like to thank my parents for putting Tejano music in my blood and
thank you Laura for your wonderfull music!!!
Thank you for the memories Laura you truely are "La Reina de la Onda
Tejana"
So you see…..Laura did connect!! …..
with tens of thousands of fans… the good Lord knew what he was doing
when he created her….. I thank you Lord!
Tejano fans from all over the country
are yelling out…Que Viva Tejano!…. Que Viva Tejas!!!….. Que Viva
Laura Canales…nuestra reina de ayer… de ahora…..y para siempre!
I will always love you Laura……………..DOE
DOE
