Maria Leonor De Salas

Maria Leonor Salas Uribe passed away on October 6th , 2025 at the age of 91 in Whittier California. She was loved, cared for, and surrounded by loved ones as she joined her heavenly father.

She was born on January 29th, 1934 in Michoacan Mexico. Leonor, as her family called her, was a middle child of mostly sisters and a single brother. They lost their father while very young and soon after, her brother while he was still a young man, so she grew up in a household of mostly women. She attended school up until the third grade, taking care of her younger siblings and helping her mother around the house when she wasn't busy singing songs and dancing. Leonor loved music. She would listen to her favorites such as Augustin Lara or Los Panchos on one of the few radios a neighbor had in the small rural village, she grew up in.

She married her husband Fabian, of over seventy years, as a young teenager and they had twelve children. After the birth of their sixth child, she was instrumental in encouraging her young family to immigrate north, to Baja California Mexico and eventually, Los Angeles CA. The family eventually settled in Paramount CA. Leonor's house would become the hub of family parties, celebrations, and holiday gatherings. On any given weekend, her small home was filled with what brought her joy, music, food, family, and laughter. She loved to spend time with her extended family of cousins, aunts/uncles, nieces/nephews, etc. If you were family, you were always welcomed to her home and it was not uncommon for a few of them to spend years living with her as a part of her household. She would visit the local swap meets to buy frilly laced dresses and toys for her grandchildren. Leonor was adventurous and enjoyed traveling. She would visit her family in Mexico often, go beach camping with her children and grandchildren in Baja California, or join a road trip to Washington state to visit her son serving in the US Army.

Her biggest passion, outside of her family, was her plants and flowers. She loved to garden and would often speak and sing to her plants as if they were people. Leonor believed that plants not only needed water, good soil and sunshine to grow but like people, they needed love and affection. She had a deep respect for nature and would encourage her children to connect with plants for a spiritual connection to our ancestors and homeland. Once while visiting a mission in Arizona, she grabbed some mesquite bean pods and explained how you can ground them into a flour to make a porridge to eat. She said nature and god will always find a way to provide for you if you know where to look and kept faith. Leonor kept a very special mix of indigenous spirituality and catholic traditions alive in her home. She was quick to give a "bendicion" as she tucked you in or a "limpia" to your new home or apartment to rid it of any negative energy. If you were feeling ill, she had a ready-made "pomada" or some other curandera based remedy for you to feel better. There was always a tea or a "padre nuestro" ready to do the job to treat what ails you.

Leonor was predeceased by her husband, Fabian, and her children, Carmen, Riena, and Nicolas. And her mother Josefina and father Juan. She is survived by her children, Juan, Lydia, Melchor, Sally, George, Moses, David, Norma, and Jaime; her 32 grandchildren, 22 great grandchildren, 12 great-great grandchildren.