“When our mom died, people got up and spoke about her love, her selflessness, her character, her joy, the peace, the love.”
That’s what Louis Barrios had to say about his mother, Viola Barrios, a San Antonio legend known for her selfless generosity as much as her food.
This year marks 10 years since she was murdered in her home.
Diana Barrios Trevino and her older brother Louis have countless stories about their beloved mother.
“She did so much for so many, strangers, people she didn’t know, people she knew very well, people she helped a lot,” she said.
But their lives haven’t been easy. Before losing their mother in 2008, their father, Jose Barrios, was killed by a drunk driver. Their mother was left alone to raise three kids.
“Nothing could steal her joy, no matter what happened in her life,” Louis said. “Nothing could steal her joy.”
With only $3,000 and a passion for cooking, Viola opened up Los Barrios Restaurant, and for more than 30 years, she worked seven days a week.
“She did all the prepping. She did all the cleaning,” Louis recalled. “She cleaned the bathroom, she bussed the tables, she did the equivalent of 10 to 12 jobs a day.”
She was a woman who cooked with a lot of love but she had an even bigger heart.
In fact, every year she went back to her hometown of Bustamante, Mexico and gave to those in need.
She generously gave until her last day.
In April 2008, Viola was murdered by Joe Estrada Jr. He killed her with a bow and arrow, robbed her, and then set her home on fire.
But it wasn’t anger or sadness for Viola’s kids. Instead, it was joy and love, because that’s what she taught them.
“Don’t consider how mom died,” Louis said. “She wanted us happy. We are going to fulfill that promise. We are going to be happy. We are going to celebrate mom’s life.”
“There was very much a peacefulness amongst us, and a unity,” Diana said.
They even offered to pay for Estrada’s legal defense.
“Everybody wanted revenge and justice, and we were crying out for grace and mercy. And people didn’t understand it,” Louis said. “But that is how our mother raised us, and how our mother was.”
Ten years since their mom’s death, her kids aren’t slowing down. They give back to countless charities and started Viola’s Huge Heart Foundation.
“Circumstances change but your character doesn’t,” Louis said. “Whoever you are in the good times, you are going to be that same person in the bad times.”
The family now has a total of four restaurants and the foundation has handed out nearly $200,000-worth of scholarships to six students who embody the hardworking spirit and compassion exemplified by Viola Barrios.
For more information about Viola’s Huge Heart Foundation, you can visit the official website here.