María De La Luz Reyes Ph.D.

María de la Luz Reyes, 83, Professor Emerita of Education at the University of Colorado-Boulder, passed away peacefully in her home on April 21, 2025. Maria was born on January 1, 1942 in Calvert, Texas to Juan D. Reyes and Isabel Gomez Reyes. María de la Luz Reyes resided in San Marcos, CA.

Maria is survived by her brother Joe Reyes (Hortencia), step-son; Juan Halcon, step-daughter; Vanessa Halcon-Jaime and 5 grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews and great, great nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Juan and Isabel Reyes, husband; Dr. John J. Halcon, 4 brothers, Nick, Willie, Jessie, Johnny and 3 sisters, Isabel, Minnie and Annie.

She dedicated her life to education, beginning her career as an elementary and high school teacher, earning traditional and bilingual teaching credentials from Texas, Missouri, and California. After completing her Masters, she became Coordinator of the Bilingual Teacher Education Program at Texas Woman’s University, where she also taught. Reyes earned a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with a specialization in language, culture, and literacy at the University of California – Santa Barbara.

Throughout her distinguished career, Professor Reyes taught at Texas Woman’s University, California Lutheran University, CSU-Bakersfield, The University of Colorado at Boulder, and CSU-Monterey Bay, where she was a member of the founding faculty. She also collaborated on various literacy and Border Pedagogy projects with CSU-San Marcos faculty.

Professor Reyes was an expert in language, literacy, bilingual/multicultural education, and equity issues in higher education. Her work was widely published in esteemed journals such as the Harvard Educational Review, Language Arts, Research in the Teaching of English, English Journal, The Reading Teacher, Education and Urban Society, Journal of Latinos and Education, Theory into Practice, and The Encyclopedia of Bilingual Education. Her book, "The Best for our Children: Critical Perspectives in Literacy for Latino Students," earned the Critics Choice Book Award from the American Educational Studies Association in 2004. Her most recent book, "Words Were All We Had: Becoming Biliterate Against the Odds," was named a Finalist for an International Latino Book Award in 2012.

In recent years, Reyes focused on writing children's books, publishing titles such as "How Will I Talk to Abuela?" (2016), which won a Bronze medal at The International Latino Book Award in 2017, and "¿Cómo voy a hablar con abuela?" (2018). Her third book, "Countdown to the Last Tortilla/Cuenta atrás hasta la última tortilla" (bilingual version), was released in spring 2019.

Beyond her academic achievements, Dr. Reyes was deeply involved in the early development of Route 78 Rotary Club, a Latino chapter of Rotary International. She served as the founding secretary for three and a half years, helping to establish the club’s positive presence in Latino communities of North County San Diego through support of local and international educational projects. Reyes co-chaired the popular Mariachi Festival & Tacos & Tequila Receptions for the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th annual festivals at the Center for the Arts in Escondido. She served on the Board of Directors (2013-2015) of this young, successful community organization, which was recognized as “The Best Rotary Club” (medium size category) for 2015-2016.

Maria enjoyed her yearly New Years Eve birthday parties with neighbors, friends and family. She also enjoyed her monthly domino/card games with close friends and family.

Maria was a big sports fan, especially college football.

She enjoyed hosting parties, family gatherings and sitting on her back patio during warm sunny days.

A Memorial Service will be held on: June 14, 2025 at 1:00pm Eternal Hills Chapel 1999 El Camino Real, Oceanside, CA 92054