Juan Salom was born in 1947, the oldest son of Anthony and Soledad Salom, in Juarez, Chihuahua. He was raised in El Paso, Texas, the city he would call home for the rest of his life, with siblings Maggie, Martha, Liz, Nacima, Soledad and Jesse during the fifties, ‘a great time to be alive’. He graduated from El Paso High and went on to serve four, (yes, four), tours of duty in Vietnam as a sailor in the U.S. Navy. Though he was offered a promising position with Honda overseas after his service, he returned home ‘without a scratch’ to marry the great love of his life, Martha Nickolas.
Almost immediately, Juan threw himself into ‘the rag business’, for which he felt tremendous lifelong passion. Beginning with El Golfo de Mexico on S. El Paso Street, he would go on to manage several locations throughout the city selling used clothing, shoes and home goods—causing his five children to grow up with the sure knowledge that, sooner or later, ‘everything comes out in the pacas.’
Juan was the consummate family man, dedicated to his wife and kids with remarkable devotion. A person of simple tastes and minimal needs, all he wanted was to serve his ‘pretty girl,’ his ‘pimpollos’, his parents and siblings, his many employees y todos sus clientes. Ever the ham, he was featured in a series of television and radio spots promoting his ‘rags’ with the famous tagline, ‘Vamos con Juan. ¡Donde más barato dan!’ And he was known to give the best deals to a clientele looking to provide for their families with humble means—taking special joy in quietly reducing prices as he saw the need, even if it was at a loss.
After moving from a home in Mission Hills ‘right on the park,’ some of his happiest years were spent in El Paso’s beautiful, green upper valley on Love Rd., ‘the house built on Love.’ There, his children were raised on a half-acre of land with a pool, a trampoline, sheep, geese, a brood of chickens and two German Shepherds—including his beloved Archie Bunker. Juan was constantly dreaming up games and minor excursions for his kids, including the famous ‘Cielo Seek,’ a modified game of hide-and-seek played in teams throughout the entire structure of Cielo Vista Mall. He and Martha sought to raise their family in ‘a happy fairyland,’ and together they devoted themselves to the task.
Juan was a man with many friends, always at the ready with a joke, a wise crack or a whistle. A person of profound faith in Christ, he ceaselessly interceded for his ever-expanding progeny—to the point where his prayers ‘going down the list’ became as natural as breathing. He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Martha Salom; his children Susie Salom-Gay, John ‘JJ’ Salom, Jr., Sandra Froehle, Sarah Moring and Paul Salom; his grandchildren Belinda Salom-Gay, Ella Moring, Ethan Moring, Savannah Moring, Shelby Froehle, Astoria Froehle, Abigail Froehle, Nevaeh Salom and Rylee Salom; his sons-in-law Shawn Gay, Jefferson Froehle and Joe Moring; his daughter-in-law Halime Salom; countless cousins, nieces and nephews; and his siblings Martha Salom-Romero, Soledad Salom-Baca and Jesse Chahud Salom (and then there were three).
Juan will be memorialized, with the full honors of a U.S. Navy veteran, Wednesday, November 24, 2021 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Martin Funeral Home West, 128 N. Resler Dr., El Paso, Texas 79912.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.MartinFuneralHomeWest.com for the Salom family.
