Maria Salinas Jimenez

Once in a lifetime, if you’re lucky, you get to meet someone who makes you feel special. Our dear mother Maria S. Jimenez was that person to so many. She had a way of filling your heart with love and make you feel warm with her inviting smile and genuine greeting. Sadly, our mother lost her battle with dementia and passed away on Thursday, August 17, at the age of 88 in Los Fresnos, Texas. She was a wonderful mother, daughter, sister, and empathetic to anyone seeking her help.

Our mother was always there when we needed her. Her family was there for her during her long battle with the debilitating illness. She was predeceased by her husband, Guillermo P. Jimenez, her infant daughter Guillermina Jimenez, and her granddaughter, Araceli Jimenez. She is survived by her children Jose Jimenez (Jacinta), Ramon Jimenez (Luz Maria), Magdalena White (David), Juanita Jimenez-Soto (Sergio), Guillermo Jimenez, Jr. (Dominga), and Pedro Jimenez (Jorgina), 13 grandchildren, 22 great grandchildren and 7 great great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her two sisters, Alicia McNutt, and Reyna Salinas. Our mom was blessed to witness five generations of her family and blessed to have had a wonderful provider and friend, Estrella Amaro.

Our mother was born in Mexico City to an affluent family in 1935. She had a nanny, a big home, and no care in the world. But her life changed drastically when her father ran away with her maternal aunt along with all their money. Gone was the nanny, the big home, and the funds. Fate forced my mother and her family to trade their carefree life for a life filled with poverty, hunger, disappointment, and a one-room apartment. She and her sisters, at the tender age of 11, made paper-mache flowers to sell in the town square while their mother worked her fingers to the bone making tortillas by hand…all to get by, and they did, just barely.

Her dream was not to become a CEO or astronaut, but rather, she wanted to be a secretary. That dream was not fulfilled because her father refused to pay for secretarial school saying it would be wasted money because she would eventually get married and stay home to raise children.

Our mother did not reach that goal, instead she ended up heading north to the United States to work as a migrant worker. She caught the eye of a handsome and chiseled jawed migrant worker who would eventually become her husband. Joined, hand-in-hand, they settled in Los Fresnos, Texas to make a family. While they were not rich, they provided their children with necessities, and abundance of love and support. Our mother did not stand in the ways of our dreams, which was her experience, instead she taught us to go after our dreams, believe in ourselves and work hard to reach our goals. Querer es poder, where there’s a will, there’s a way, is something she instilled in us all. We won’t forget that mom, and we won’t forget you.

A visitation for our mother, Maria, will be held Sunday, August 20, 2023 from 3:00 PM to 9:00 PM at Funeraria Del Angel Mont Meta with a rosary/ prayer at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.

Funeral Services will be on Monday, August 21, 2023 at 12:00 PM with burial to follow at 1:00 PM at Mont Meta Memorial Park.

Que el angel de Jehová te cuide de noche y de dia.