Iliana Iris Salinas

Iliana Iris Salinas, 30, of Austin, TX passed away Sunday, May 10, 2020. Her precious soul is forever memorialized through the collective of our experiences with her.

Iliana was born on January 8, 1990 and raised in Corpus Christi, TX. Iliana graduated from Richard King High School and achieved a B.A. in English from Texas A&M - Corpus Christi. It was during her time here in the Coastal Bend where she honed her unparalleled creative talents through writing and local poetry slam performances while nurturing ideas for short stories. Beaming with her pride of Mexican-American heritage and South Texas roots, Iliana and her mother shared an intense fondness for Mexican American literature, art, music, and cooking. She celebrated Dia de Los Muertos with tattoos and calavera makeup; voraciously consuming an auditory diet of Café Tacuba and Selena, her Spotify account barely able to keep pace. Her love of arts and culture absolutely transcended the Latin sphere, as she listened to anything that sounded great and sought imaginative innovation at every turn.

With all the cultural riches available in South Texas, the region was still not enough to satiate her desire for further exploration and Iliana relocated to Austin, TX in search of zeitgeist in the Live Music Capital of the World. For her objectives, the vibrant city of Austin met and exceeded all of her loftiest expectations. Through her perseverance, she thrived as an independent woman and worked at the University of Texas at Austin, the greatest university in the world (author bias fully intended). It was in Austin where Iliana was introduced to the love of her life, her boyfriend Josiah Riojas, a perfect union. Equally as artistically creative and aspiring, it is difficult to imagine a partnership with more energy and unbridled ambition. Their mutual affection is something that people can’t find in ten lifetimes, let alone one. They were truly a vision of devotion.

Unlike most people who left us before their time, where most of us struggle to find explanation and claim there are no words, Iliana’s case is divergent. Her presence was truly a positive force in everyone’s experience with her; though her promise was left unpunctuated we all understood its skyward trajectory. Her time with us was brief but exceptionally compelling. Her impression on us is deep, lasting, consequential. We are all left undoubtedly certain of her presence even now. Her message is vocal and lucid: “You will know that I am here.” And I will assure you, you are better for it.

Iliana is survived by her parents Juan Luis and Dr. Maria D. Salinas, Marcos (Lori) Salinas and son Jack, Aaron (Natalie) Salinas, and boyfriend Josiah Riojas. Her voluminous reach of family, friends, and well-wishers will far exceed the boundaries of this narrative, too numerous to call out. This is demonstrative of the finality of her lasting impact. Iliana is now more present than she’s ever been, and you will come to know her kind spirit in one way or another. If you listen closely, she will speak to you. If you impart your attention, she will delicately nudge you. Iliana’s grandeur has overwhelmed the confines of this life, where only the square footage of the heavens will suffice.

Thank you, God, for her newfound peace.
Bless you, Lord, for her eternal influence.
Iliana, we all can’t wait to see you again.
We love you forever.

Event Information
Event:      Rosary, to be followed immediately by memorial service

Location:    Seaside Funeral Home
      4357 Ocean Dr.
      Corpus Christi, TX 78412
Date:      Friday, May 15, 2020
Time:       1:00 pm CDT
Streaming:    https://www.oneroomstreaming.com/view/authorise.php?k=158942517359143
Donations:    In lieu of flowers please consider donating to the following organizations
-National Alliance on Mental Illness
ohttps://www.nami.org/About-NAMI/Donate-to-NAMI
-Endocrine Society
ohttps://www.endocrine.org/membership/make-a-donation

Please note that due to COVID-19 the max capacity for the Seaside Funeral Home Chapel will be 40 people.

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To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.