Saturnino Garcia Salinas

We would like to thank everyone especially those who traveled long distances to be here with us this day to lay to rest, to say our last goodbyes, to honor and celebrate the long well lived life of over ninety years of father, grandfather, and great grandfather very much loved by his family and friends, Mr. Saturnino (Nino) G. Salinas.

Nino was born in Fredericksburg, Texas on November 29, 1925 to Pedro and Eulalia Salinas as the first of five sons with also three sisters, a family of eight children during The Great Depression. He grew up in Fredericksburg having to help support his family doing backbreaking farm jobs such as picking cotton. He had to leave school after the sixth grade in order to help support his family. He was highly devoted to his mother, brothers and sisters and saw family as the most sacred and unifying force in his life.

In January, 1944 Nino was inducted into the U.S. Army at 18 years old finishing basic training at Fort Sam Houston San Antonio, Texas and infantry training at Camp Van Horn, Mississippi whereupon he was promptly shipped to the European theater where he served as a new Private First Class in the 353 Infantry, Company B as an infantryman. He was in the Battle of the Bulge and earned a Bronze Star during his service plus a Good Conduct Medal, two Overseas Service Bars, a Victory Ribbon and an Army Occupation Ribbon Germany. He was there in Germany as part of the occupational forces that liberated the Nazi concentration camps.

Four months after his discharge from the Army he married his childhood sweetheart, Guadalupe (Lupe) Cruz, who had promised to wait for him until the war was over. On October 9, 1946 they were married at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Fredericksburg, Texas. They began their own family with the arrival of their daughter Marie, then three more daughters Lupe, Anita and Eloise would follow. Fredericksburg was their home for thirteen years until Nino and Lupe moved their family to San Diego in 1959. Nino worked in drywall construction for over 30 years and retired at age 62 in 1987. He then worked part-time at the Poway Senior Center for 13 more years.

After the tragic death of his wife Lupe in a car accident in March 2003 he moved to Vista where he met and married his current wife, Trinidad, who survives him plus his four daughters, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. His legacy to us all will be his love of God and Country, his unconditional love of his family and friends, his words of wisdom and his sense of humor. Rest in peace Dad, we love you and we’ll miss you always.