Maria Socorro Lozano

Weslaco - Maria Socorro Lozano (Flores) was called home on November 3, 2020. She was born on May 24, 1937 to Ramon Flores and Ana Maria Flores in Elsa, Texas, where she was raised. She was a graduate of Edcouch-Elsa High School and married Alejandro (Alex) Lozano on April 17, 1959. The couple moved to Milford, Indiana to pursue employment and begin their family. They raised five children: Diana Smith (Bryan), Rocky Lozano, Sandra Darr (Chris), Alex Lozano, Jr. and Ericka Lozano-Buhl (Greg). A sixth child, Erika Ann, was stillborn.

Maria was a bright woman with a head for finance. Early in her career she worked at Weather Head, Inc. and Ralston Purina where she made lifelong friends. She went on to become the first Hispanic woman to be elected Milford's Clerk-Treasurer, a role responsible for the financial records of the town.

Maria was a Migrant Aide at Milford Elementary School for several years, teaching English as a second language to the children of seasonal farmworkers. Many of the children who learned English from her called her "maestra," Spanish for "teacher," long after she had left her role at the school. She was deeply committed to the Latino community and served as an advocate for local Spanish speaking families.

For many years, she was a bank teller at the Milford branches of both Lake City Bank and First National Bank of Warsaw. She later became a notary public and tax preparer.

Maria was a devout Catholic and an active parishioner at St. Martin de Porres in Syracuse, Indiana for 30 years. She served as a catechist, RCIA sponsor, and Eucharistic Minister.

Her hobbies included gardening, reading, and refinishing furniture to display in her home. She loved spending time with her grandchildren and traveling each year to Elsa, Texas to visit extended family.

Maria was preceded in death by Alex, her husband of 57 years; her father, Ramon Diego Flores; her mother, Ana Maria Flores; and her siblings Teresa Piña, Guadalupe de Leon, and Esperanza Cantu. She is survived by five children, 21 grandchildren, 27 great grandchildren, and 7 great-great grandchildren, as well as her siblings, Jesus Flores and Maria Sosa, both of Elsa, Texas.

A viewing is scheduled at Highland Memorial Park in Weslaco, Texas for Tuesday, November 10 from 5pm-9pm with a Rosary at 7pm. Maria will be buried alongside her husband in Highland Memorial Park with a graveside ceremony at 11am on Wednesday, November 11.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be directed to Visiting Nurse, 5910 Homestead Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46814.