Salvador Mark Villescas

Salvador M Villescas was born on August 27, 1971 in Panorama City, California. He was the second child of Salvador and Maria Luisa . They lived in Pacoima, California.

SCHOOLING AND WORK

Salvador attended Christian Day School until the fifth grade; it was a school he valued for laying a strong foundation of his Christian faith. In sixth grade, he met his oldest friend, Dennis, at Telfair Avenue School. The following year, at Olive Vista Junior High School, he met his future wife, Mabel, and his other lifelong close friends, Martin and Robert. It is at Sylmar High School where he developed his passion for education.

In 1989, he began his studies at California State University at Northridge where he would graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies in 1993. He immediately began teaching 5th grade at Sylmar Elementary School. Looking toward the future, he earned a Masters in Education in 1998. He found his place at Pacoima Charter Elementary in 2003. He would go on to become an Assistant Principal working and serving the Pacoima community with a Director, Sylvia, who would become like a sister to him (Mabel called her “the work wife”).

MARRIAGE AND FAMILY

In November of 1988, Salvador had his first date with Mabel. Unbeknownst to him, he had discovered the love of his life. Their friendship and love grew through those ten and a half years, ultimately becoming best friends as well as their first loves. They were married in May of 1999 in the Mission San Fernando Rey de Espana; he valued its historical significance having taught about it in the classroom for nearly a decade. They went on to have two handsome sons.

HOBBIES AND SERVICE

Salvador’s great joys included watching his sons play in AYSO and at Temple City National Little League. He ventured into the AYSO referee arena for one year, but found he did not have the fortitude to stomach it [the parents yelled too much]; he had his wife take over the following season. At Temple City National Little League, he was an assistant of the coaching staff. As he never had the opportunity to play as a little boy, he was hesitant to take on the title of coach. Nonetheless, he loved being on the field practicing with his sons or watching them play a game from the stands.

As a father, he loved to take trips stateside with his family and show his boys the wonders of the Grand Canyon, the Pacific Northwest, the badlands of El Paso, the solemnity of Gettysburg, as well as the remarkable District of Columbia and the awesome Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. He particularly enjoyed showing them the Freedom Trail in Boston, which he had gotten to know quite well with his many trips to visit Mabel.

Salvador loved learning and traveling internationally only added to his quest for knowledge of the world. He visited France and Italy in 1994 with his sister, Marie Eileen, and cousins, Aaron and Ruben. He traveled to Thailand in November 1998 with his close friends Dennis and Shannon. He returned to Europe in May of 1999 for his honeymoon to revisit France and Italy, but this time visiting St. Peter’s Square and the Sistine Chapel. They also enjoyed a family trip with his in-laws to Toronto, Canada, to see Niagara Falls. He had a follow-up trip to Thailand for Dennis’ wedding.

Marriage was important to Salvador and he took his barely pregnant wife to Venezuela’s Isla Margarita for some quality couples’ time. As he never stopped appreciating quality couples’ time, he took Mabel on another international trip to southern Mexico to visit Acapulco. His last trip to Thailand in 2014 was particularly memorable for him because he visited Cambodia, South Korea and Laos.

He was a prolific reader and his boys learned from him. He particularly enjoyed a spectrum of literature spanning from comic books starting in his teen years to science fiction as well as classics. Likewise, his interests in music spanned opera to alternative rock as well as rap.

SUMMARY

Salvador lived a full and varied life, making family friends and friends family. He sought the goodness in everyone. He was patient with everyone. He was a loving husband who adored his children. He possessed wit, gentleness, genuine kindness and immense knowledge. He always took the time to listen, making you feel important and valued. He was mild-mannered so it took the world a bit of time before they realized they were in the presence of human excellence.