Maria Santos Gonzalez

Maria Santos Gonzalez, daughter of Maria Simona Vasquez Granado and Luis Granado (Ortega), passed away on Friday, March 17, 2023 at home as per her wishes, in Torrance, California.  Maria was born in Hondo, Texas, but during the United States Depression her family was one of many Mexican families who were deported to Mexico.

Maria attended school in Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, where in her college years she excelled in athletics, becoming a basketball, volleyball, and track star.  She represented the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon, in Mexico’s 1948 Olympic trials. She still holds state records in track and her 440 relay team’s record was only recently was broken.

Maria received an athletic scholarship to Germany, but could not accept it because she did not have a Mexican Passport. She became a teacher in 1952 in Mexico and taught 2nd graders, but decided that it was time to reclaim her US citizenship birthright and went back to San Antonio to live with her older sister Beatrice Preciado.

In San Antonio, she met Guadalupe (Lupe) Gonzales who was in the Army and married in 1955 and moved to Los Angeles. She gave birth to three children with Lupe, Rose Maria, Luis, and Sylvia Gonzales. In January 1961, Maria was widowed. In 1963 she married Salvador Gonzalez, and had three more children, Jacqueline, Carlos, and Gloria Gonzalez.

Maria was very industrious and worked many jobs, and instilled high values to her children, to be honest, and to work hard, and she stressed education. One of her sayings was “My job is to work and your job is to go to school”.  She worked in the car insurance field as a claims adjuster, and had clothing and makeup jobs on the side. Another one of her popular sayings was “Everyone needs a job and a half”.

Maria had a great sense of humor, loved to dance, and listen to all kind of music, Country, Bluegrass, Zydeco, and especially Mariachi music. She was a fabulous cook, and took classes to learn how to make sushi, and Chinese food.  She also loved to travel.  Her favorite place was Hawaii, but she also travelled several times to Las Vegas, Mexico, China, and travelled several times to Europe with her daughters.

Maria is preceded in death by her parents Maria Simona Vasquez Granado and Luis Granado, her half-sister Beatrice (Luis) Preciado, her brother Joel Granado, and husband Salvador Gonzalez.  She is survived by her six children, Daughters: Rose Gonzales, Sylvia Gonzales, Jaqueline Gonzalez and Gloria Gonzalez, and her sons, Luis (Nuala) Gonzales, and Carlos Gonzalez.  She is survived by her brother Octaviano Granado, and numerous nieces and nephews, and one grandson Jason, who helped take care of her in her final days.

Maria will be desperately missed by everyone, but her smile and memory will last forever.