Maria Estela Leyendecker Boudreaux

Following a prolonged battle with Lewy Body and Parkinson’s disease, Maria Estela surrendered her soul to the loving arms of our merciful God.

Maria Estela was born in Laredo, Texas, as a middle child of six, and grew up in the Leyendecker home on Saint Augustine Plaza. Living across from Saint Augustine Church, beside the historic La Posada Hotel, and just steps from the international bridge—surrounded by multiple generations of family—deeply shaped her life and spirit.

Having overcome polio at a young age, she graduated from Ursuline Academy and Laredo Junior College, where she had the honor of serving as student body president. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, followed by a dietetics internship at Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville. On July 4, 1967, she married the love of her life, John Ernest Boudreaux.

After their marriage, Maria Estela and John lived briefly in Columbus, Ohio, and New York City before settling in the Kansas City area, living at times on each side of the state line. There, she raised her son and daughter while serving the greater community as a licensed dietitian.

Professionally, she was a service provider, advisor, board member, program developer, and educator for many healthcare and feeding programs in the Kansas City area. In the late 1980s, she founded an independent consulting company, Maria L. Boudreaux and Associates, which later became Majenta Nutrition Solutions with dietician Jen Bowell as partner.

In her personal life, Maria Estela was a devoted mother, spouse, sister, aunt, cousin, godmother, friend, and neighbor—always making sure she was her nieces’ and nephews’ favorite “Aunt Ree”. As a member of the Cure of Ars Catholic Church, one of her cherished experiences was volunteering her Spanish-speaking skills on dental outreach missions to Guatemala in the early 2000s.

Family meant everything to her. Many holidays were spent in Laredo with her sisters, and summers brought family gatherings on the beaches of Port Aransas. These moments became treasured memories—like the tamale-making Thanksgiving at her sister Ethel’s, or the magical summer when the Boudreauxs and Zunigas rented apartments in Laredo for six weeks and were joined by the Oldhams from Kansas City. She especially loved the birthday celebrations when each sibling turned 60, reuniting and celebrating like teenagers once again.

Maria Estela was preceded in death by her beloved son, John Zachary Boudreaux; her parents, Alfonso A. Leyendecker and Maria Estela “Chela” Palacios Leyendecker of Laredo, TX; her sisters Magdalena Leyendecker Zuniga and husband Roberto of Malinalco, Mexico; Ethel Leyendecker Arguindegui and husband Peter of Laredo, TX; and Lucia Leyendecker Curtin and husband Daniel of Tulsa, OK; and her brother, Alfonso A. Leyendecker Jr. of San Antonio, TX.

She is survived by her husband of 58 years, John Ernest Boudreaux of Overland Park, KS; her daughter, Nicole Boudreaux Crutchfield and husband David of Fargo, ND; her sister Victoria Leyendecker Duffield and husband Nathaniel of Houston, TX; and her many adored nieces, nephews, cousins, and close friends.

The family extends their deepest gratitude to caregiver Lisa Darling of Daughters & Company for years of dedicated companionship, as well as to the staff of Kansas City Hospice, Phoenix Home Health, KU Med, Saint Luke’s, and the many healthcare providers who offered comfort and support throughout Maria Estela’s final journey.

Memorial services August 1, 2025. Visitation at 9:00 a.m., Rosary 9:45 a.m., Mass 10 a.m., Cure of Ars Church, Leawood KS. Interment at Prince of Peace Mausoleum Resurrection Cemetery Lenexa, KS following mass.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages you to hug and cherish one another, and to reflect on the joys and life experiences you shared with Maria Estela and with each other.