ABOUT OUR FOUNDER

Dezaré Dalton Cedillo was born in San Antonio on Feb 15, 1985to William “Brad” Dalton & Carol Vasquez Dalton. Her sister is Brenda Dalton Roman. Dez was a happy, affectionate and very social child. She was very creative & loved being around her Dad. She loved singing, acting and playing sports as a child. Dez and Brenda attended Michelle’s Southern Belles Dance and Twirling studio where they competed and won many awards in local, regional and state twirling and dance competitions. Dez also participated in basketball and T-Ball for St James’ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Dez and Brenda were also Brownies as pre-teens. Schools attended were St. James, Palm Heights Baptist and 1 year in public schools in the SW School District. Dez had an internal glow about her and she made friends quickly. In June 1995, her family moved to the Boerne area where Dez graduated from Smithson Valley/Comal Leadership Institute in 2003. Dez finished her senior year in the homebound program, due to an almost fatal car accident at the beginning of her senior year in Sep 2002. The accident occurred while driving to school at the end of her 1st week of driving solo. The Lord was certainly with her and this was her first observed miracle. The compact Toyota Corolla she was driving hit a culvert, rolled 5 times and landed right-side up in the opposing traffic lane. Fortunately, the DPS canine unit traveling directly behind her immediately stopped traffic in both directions until she was rescued and airlifted to University Hospital. No major injuries were incurred; however,it took the rest of the school year to heal from several bone fractures and bruises.

Dez attended Catholic school with her sister until 4th grade. The family moved into their first owned home in 1988 and around 1992 and became members of Lackland Terrace Church of Christ until 1996. The family also visited Boerne Church of Christ, long stints at Oak Hills Church [of Christ] & Cornerstone Church. Dez met her future husband Tim Cedillo at Cornerstone Church Youth Fire (pastored by Warren Beamer) where she was later baptized. She attended many events and camps at S. Padre Island, Camp Bandina and HEB camp (Lackland Terrace). In adulthood, Dez attended Community Bible Church (CBC), CBC Corpus Christi and ultimately CJC Life Church.

Dez enjoyed many family vacations as a youth and into adulthood. There were summer trips to S. Padre Island and to Disney World (1999, 2001 & 2008) to include a complete family vacation to Disney World (June 2017) and a cruise to the W. Caribbean (Grand Cayman & Cozumel, 2000). Note: 1st Disney trip postponed (death of maternal grandmother (July 1998) & grandfather 20 days later. These tragic deaths and the sudden death (car wreck) of maternal uncle Paul Vasquez (Feb 1989) would in different ways shape the family psyche for the future.

Dez married Timothy (Tim) Cedillo right out of high school (June 2003). They have 3 sons: 1st handsome miracle baby (high risk pregnancy) Noah Cedillo (born 2005), 2nd handsome son Sebastian Cedillo (born 2009) and 3rd handsome son Joshua (born 2012).

The Corpus Christi/Padre Island years:
Five days after Sebastian was born, Dez & the boys joined Tim in Corpus Christi as he started a new job in the Audio-Visual (AV) convention industry at the Omni Hotel. They became members of CBC Corpus, a satellite location of CBC San
Antonio. Dez became the leader for recruitment and Tim assisted in the AV department. Dez’s parents attended this church with them when they visited almost bi-weekly for the next 3 years. The congregation was small but very personable, much like CJCLife! Their time in Corpus Christi was magical for the family as they all became avid fisherman and acclimated to the coastal environment. The Family was blessed to live right on the Packery Channel for their last year on Padre Island. Their home was waterfront property & convenient for outdoor recreation including fishing & swimming. It was a great place for the boys to highlight their youth! Additionally, Dez volunteered for a missionary trip to assist orphanages in the small, poor villages around the Puerto Vallarta, Mexico vicinity. This trip profoundly touched Dez & enhanced her empathy and genuine concern for others! Note: sister Brenda had married and joined husband Kyle Roman in Okinawa, Japan in early 2009, then stationed to Summerville, South Carolina several years later. Brenda had two lovely sons Stevie & PJ and beautiful daughter Mía.

The family moved back to San Antonio (Nov 2012) soon after the birth of Joshua as their rented property was sold and also for Tim to develop experience in all aspects of the AV convention world industry. This enabled Dez to focus on being a stay-at-home Mom, a most precious job where she excelled. They were able to concentrate on raising the boys, fine-tuning their character, creativity, engage in family outings and other developmental life experiences. Dez always dreamed of being a Mom and this God-given talent was very much realized as it was a high priority in our beloved Dez’s world. The love she had for her children and the love she had for Jesus Christ would pave the way for their family’s direction. Prior to her 2nd son Sebastian’s birth, Dez completed her schooling as a dental assistant. It was an aggressive & challenging schedule, but Dez proved she was up for the challenge. The family was so proud of her for completing this lofty goal on a condensed, challenging schedule. She completed a semester at the Art Institute of San Antonio just after completing her breast cancer treatment!

Shortly after moving back to San Antonio, Dez discovered a mystery bump near her breast (Dec 2013). The worst fears were realized as she was diagnosed with stage 3a breast cancer (Jan 2014). This devastating news would rally the family and increased their faith in God. Dez flourished despite the news and developed and intensified her well known calling card: positive attitude, courageous battle-fight, absolute focus & never giving up! This adversity highlighted her immensely selfless character of genuine concern, providing assistance to others and above all, her fierce faith & trust in the Lord with all her heart! Dez became the true example of the truth “Adversity Does Not Build Character… It Reveals It!”

In April 2014, Dez underwent chemotherapy, radiation, 2 surgeries and completed treatment in Nov 2014. Dez exhibited a profound will for life, displaying a contagious exuberant & courageous positive attitude. Her will to fight, with her absolute faith in God, has truly been an inspiration to ALL who have crossed her path! She ministered to all participating in her care; doctors, nurses, technicians, janitors, everyone!
Everyone wanted to work in the area of the hospital ward where Dez was staying. She was a positive inspiration to everyone! She would hand out Hope cards and talk about faith in our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.

Dez radiated a kind, caring generous persona & was willing to help others in need. This selfless demeanor and positive attitude continued throughout her treatment and recovery period. Additionally, she had an all-important, never wavering faith in God’s ability to completely heal her. She met many people throughout this experience and was touched by those who were going through similar challenges. Her empathy, genuine concern for others and her positive aura and influence made a tremendous positive effect on those crossing her path!