Benjamin Salas Villa

Benjamin “Benny” Salas Villa

September 17, 1934 – April 24, 2015

Benjamin Villa came from a pioneer family that immigrated to Arizona in the 1880s, following the San Pedro River north from Sonora, Mexico, to small mining towns and eventually to Phoenix. His mother, through family tragedy, had to raise her children alone. She made enough money to send him and his brother Jerry to Immaculate Heart Elementary School where he was known as a “travieso” who liked to tease the other students. One of his favorite stories is about when he was in fifth or sixth grade, the nun punished him by putting him in the closet but forgot to release him when she left for the day and locked the classroom door. Around sunset, when he realized what happened, he knew he had to get home or his mother would “let him have it.” He figured out how to climb out the window of his classroom, which was on the 2nd floor of the school, and shimmy down the drainpipe with the window slamming shut behind him. The next day he could tell the nun was wondering how in the world he got out of the classroom.

He spent summers with his uncles and cousins in Mammoth, Arizona, and spent many happy days hunting and fishing. He also worked in the fields and shined the shoes of GI’s waiting at the airport during WWII, saving his money for his college education. Like most Americans, he had a personal interest in the war. His uncle Bill survived being shot down over China, but other relatives were not so lucky. For the rest of his life, he had a fascination with WWII history.

His mother, Dolores Salas Marquez, believed in the value of a Catholic education and sacrificed so that her children could attend St. Mary’s High School, where he made life-long friendships among his fellow football players. He was also impressed with the Franciscan priests, in particular with Father Albert Braun’s personal stories of his imprisonment and harsh treatment at the hands of his Japanese captors.

He met the love of his life, Theresa Magdaleno, during their sophomore year. Their first date was to the Junior Prom, a double date with their friends Claudette and Jim Walsh. Through dates, picnics and dances, they realized they belonged together.

Before they got married, they sat together and mapped out their lives, the goals and dreams they wanted to realize, using the values they had learned in religion classes from the priests at St. Mary’s. Because their mothers were widows, they knew they had to rely on themselves to accomplish their goals. They both worked to put my dad through college. He majored in Spanish and minored in Elementary education. Becoming the first college graduate in his family, he graduated from Arizona State University in 1958, right after their second child was born. He began working for the Deer Valley School District in a one-room school-house where he was the head teacher, janitor and bus driver. (He said that made him the highest paid teacher in Arizona.) He worked on his master’s degree while teaching at Arrowhead School, Village Meadows School, and New River School, and earned his Master of Arts in Education from ASU in 1966.

The family spent time together at home in the back yard most summer evenings. When the girls were little, they would go fishing in the White Mountains in the Payson area. When the girls were older, Ben and Theresa would chaperone camping trips with their daughters’ Girl Scout troops. They also enjoyed going to dances at the Vesta Club in Phoenix. They were always one of the first couples on the dance floor and the last to go home.

In 1969, Benjamin was offered a position with the Santa Monica – Malibu Unified School District, so he and Theresa moved their family of four children to California. He taught English at John Adams Junior High School starting in 1969, and became a counselor in 1971. The following year, he began counseling at Santa Monica High School.

The family enjoyed camping trips, including one to the beach outside of Ensenada, Mexico, and several trips to Pismo Beach during clamming season. While other men wore wet suits in the chilly water, Ben’s “wet suit” consisted of a t-shirt and jeans. On our one and only backpacking trip, Ben carried a cast iron Dutch oven so we could enjoy “huevos con chorizo” for breakfast.

While teaching in Santa Monica, he got involved with the Association of Mexican-American Educators (AMAE). While he was the state regional vice president, he organized new chapters for many school districts in southern California. In 1976 he was elected state president of AMAE.

In 1989, he began counseling at Olympic High School and became principal in 1992. He also taught English as a Second Language in the 1980s and 1990s with the Santa Monica – Malibu Unified School District and the Los Angeles Unified School District Adult Education program. He made connections with his students that were visionary. He once counseled the mother of a Vietnamese student who was worried that she would never see her husband and son, who were still in Viet Nam. He said, “Some day you will introduce your husband to me.” He didn’t know why he said that, but a few years later, the student’s mother and father visited him, causing all to shed tears of joy that the whole family was reunited.

After retiring in 1997, he and his wife Theresa continued their love of travel. While it was still safe, they took a bus and train trip through Mexico, exploring the Copper Canyon (Barrancas del Cobre) on their own, and carting a 50-lb blanket all the way back to the States. Their travels included Spain, Portugal, Italy, China, Germany, Ireland, Greece, Turkey, the Azores and a pilgrimage to Israel. They visited the Marian sites in Mexico City, Fatima, Lourdes, Ireland as well as Ephesus. (He had great faith in and knowledge of the Virgin of Guadalupe.) Their most frequent travels were to northern California to visit their two grandchildren on their birthdays, communions, confirmations, and yearly performances. They will remember him for his playful spirit, love of God and family, and his “smack-a-roonies” (kisses).

Benjamin is survived by his beloved wife, Theresa Magadaleno Villa, and his four children: Catherine Rose Villa (William Simmons Faught III), Demitria Rosemarie Villa, Theresa Evangeline Villa (Thomas Rocco Capece), and Benjamin Steven Villa (Sherri Villa). He is also survived by his two cherished grandchildren: William Simmons Faught IV and Theresa Villa Faught.