Victoria O. Salazar

Victoria was born the third of eight children to Daniel Ortiz and Olivia Martinez on October 13, 1930 in Rancho de la Espada, Michoacan. She adored her father and had fond memories of spending time with him and of him playing his guitar. Sadly, her father passed away when she was around 10 years old. This tragic event forced her to drop out of grade school and become a domestic worker to help support the family.

A few years later, Victoria moved in with her older sister, Cuca and her brother-in-law. Her love for her sister ran deep as Cuca was not only her sister, but her best friend and a mother figure. She had become fiercely independent and ambitious. She enjoyed traveling to neighboring towns to see what these places beyond her small town offered. As a young woman, she not only discovered her love of traveling, but her calling to serve God. She began to go through the formal steps of joining the religious life while living with nuns and wearing a habit. However, she did not complete the process and returned to “civilian life”.

Victoria found a job as a factory worker at a Tequileria in Sahuayo in her early 20’s. This is where she met a young man named Guillermo. They began dating and did so for a few years, until her wanderlust took her to Nogales for employment. She worked in Nogales for a couple of years and found herself returning to Sahuayo and to Guillermo.

Victoria and Guillermo decided to make the journey north to Tijuana, where they married in 1959. A few months later, their first child, Yolanda was born. Then, two years after that they had another daughter, Maria and the year that followed, they had a son, Guillermo Jr. She had all three children in Chula Vista to give them an opportunity for a better life. Victoria worked as a housekeeper at the Travel Lodge in San Ysidro, while Guillermo had found work as a migrant worker and later on as a bartender in Chula Vista. She had a strong work ethic and worked tirelessly to help maintain her family. When time allowed on her rare day off, she would pack up the kids and head for the beach in Tijuana. She loved the ocean, smelling the sea air and feeling the sand between her toes. Despite not knowing how to swim, she and her kids would play in the water.

In 1972, a border patrol agent told Victoria that if she didn’t move her children to the U.S., they would lose their citizenship. Since she feared for having their chance for a better life taken away, she and Guillermo moved the family to El Cajon that same year. She became a full time housewife and Guillermo became a gardener at the apartment complex they moved into. Two years later, they had their fourth child, Olivia.

In November 1980, Victoria and Guillermo’s eldest daughter, Yolanda married. It was bittersweet in that they were happy that their daughter found love, but it would move their daughter to Tennessee as her new husband would be stationed there. The early 80’s kept her busy as she not only drove Olivia to and from school, but to Girl Scouts, ballet and karate classes after school. 1983 welcomed the birth of their first grandchild, Victoria. In 1986, Yolanda gave birth to her second child, Aaron Mogens. Vicky and Aaron would spend part of their summers at nana and papa’s house. They embraced their new role as grandparents and enjoyed every moment they had with them.

In 1991, Victoria’s dream of owning a home was realized. After years of saving and stretching every dollar, she and Guillermo purchased their first home in El Cajon. As Guillermo was still working at the apartment complex, they stayed behind with Olivia while Maria and Guillermo Jr. moved into the house. In 1994, Maria married and gave birth to her first son, Zachary. The following year would bring another son, Robert Mackenzie, who Victoria and Guillermo lovingly called, Macky. They took care of Zack and Mack, while their parents worked and they became their little unit of four. Their nana and papa loved them immensely and made sure that they never wanted for anything. They would spend time with them in the backyard where they not only played, but learned about gardening. They would take trips to the nearby nursery and buy seeds to plant, so they could take pride on what they planted.

In 2003 the family suffered a major loss. A month after Victoria and Guillermo celebrated their 44th wedding anniversary, Guillermo passed away unexpectedly. In 2005, she received another blow, this time it was a diagnosis of Dementia-Alzheimer’s Disease. On the morning of August 19, 2016, Victoria’s long journey ended when God decided to call her home.

Arrangements under the direction of Glen Abbey Mortuary, Bonita, CA.