Cleo Salazar

Salazar, Cleo April 12, 1917 – June 4, 2008 Preceded in death by her beloved husband, Lucas, And Great-Granddaughter Kyley Michelle Yates, Cleo is survived by her Daughter, Judith Yates (Dan), and sons, Lucas James and Peter Angelo (Pauline), Grandchildren, Loretta Primozich (Tom), James Yates(Sandy), Michael Yates (Amy), Sabrina Salazar, Sara Salazar, Tara Lancaster (Marc), and Elijah Salazar, Great –Grandchildren: Kristyn Gochenour, Lance Salazar, Daniel, Salina and Coty Yates, Jonathan and Matthew Yates, her two remaining siblings, Eli Sanchez, (Beth), and Dorothy Stephenson, (Billy), and numerous nieces and nephews. Rosary and Mass of Christian Burial will beTuesday, June 10, 2008, 11:00 a.m. at Our Lady of Presentation Catholic Church, 665 Irving Street, Denver, Colorado; Interment at Fort Logan National Cemetery at 1:00 Celebration of Life will follow at Presentation Church Hall. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions can be made to Presentation of Our Lady Church. Cleo was born Cleopatria Rosalinda Sanchez, in Branson, Colorado, the 5th of 14 children (2 of whom died in early infancy) of Blas and Virginia Sanchez. Cleo was a long time member of Presentation of Our Lady Catholic Church in Denver. She retired from Gates Rubber Company in 1979, at the age of 62. Cleo grew up on a sheep ranch In Southern Colorado. These were wonderful days when the children were free to play in the fields and the tunnels while they tended the sheep. When she was very small she and Matias, and Blas, Cruz and Candi would take their little metal lunch buckets, climb onto their donkey, aptly named Donko, and were off to the fields to tend the sheep. Alas, Donko refused to go. So after sitting there for some time yelling ""Go, Donko, Go!"" they finally got off and proceeded to push him on the rump. Well, he finally decided to go, leaving the five children, buckets in hand to walk to the fields with the sheep, the goat and the dog. Some of Cleo's fondest memories were of her brother, Blas, who would often take his sling shot and after hitting a cottontail square in the head would proceed to build a fire so they could eat some of it. The rest always went home to Mamma. She always said those were wonderful happy days. Once she told of her and Blas playing in one of the tunnels and forgetting to be home before dark. The whole community was out with lanterns calling for ""Cleopatria - Blasito, where are you!"" and they were so afraid of getting in trouble they stayed and hid in the tunnel for hours. Yes, they did get in trouble. And there was the time Blas was stomped in the stomach by a horse, and the other four children,(Cleo was probably the instigator), being afraid that he was dead and that they would have to answer for it, dragged poor Blas into the house and set him up behind the stove. The trouble they had when he fell over with a thump, fully alive but unconscious was not because the horse stomped him – it was for their neglecting to tell a grown up. After their parents lost their land due to some unknown tragedy the family became the ""best laborers"" in the beet fields. The children, even as young as six, worked from sunup to sundown. They worked thinning, then hoeing and finally topping beets. It was hard work in the hot sun, but even then they found pleasure in each other's company and would race up and down the rows on their knees. They weren't treated well, and were subject to much prejudice, This is part of what made her as tough as she was. Cleo 's early childhood was filled with memories of the beautiful land in Southern Colorado in which they lived. Sometimes she and her siblings had to work the first months of school topping beets, but they always made up their work and one or more of them was always on the honor roll. Cleo was always at the head of her class, was valedictorian of her graduating class and was given a scholarship to college but was unable to take advantage of it. She married Lucas in 1939, and had a son, Jimmy, (as he has always been called) in 1941. Lucas was a Staff Sergeant in the army and they went to Fort Benning, in Abeline, Texas where Judith Lee was born. Lucas taught little Jimmy to whistle when he was very small and while Daddy was overseas during World War II Jimmy whistled wherever he went, much to his mother's chagrin. She didn't want to give the impression that she was whistling at anybody. Whenever little Jimmy saw a soldier he asked, ""Is that my Daddy?"" True to form Cleo was mortified. There was an older couple who took Cleo and her children under their wing, but she remembers days when the rain poured into all the little cracks and holes in the trailer they lived in. She set little cans all over the house to catch the water. She lived through many difficult times. When Lucas came back from the war they moved back to Greeley, and then settled in Denver where they worked and raised their children. They both worked hard and were able to send their children to Presentation Catholic Grade School and Judy went on to St. Joe's High School. Later on Peter went to Presentation and then to Cathedral High. During the years that Cleo worked at Gates Rubber Company she was Chief Steward for the Rubber Worker's Union, fighting for the rights of the workers. But she remembered with embarrassment yelling at one of the foremen for abusing a worker. He stood meekly and listened while she read him out from top to bottom. When she was finished, he didn't say a thing. He simply reached over and pulled a statically attached sock from off her shoulder. She made many friends at Gates and they all remember her as a smart, helpful lady who taught them a lot and was always there for them. While Cleo was working at Gates, she became an Avon lady and spent much of her time sorting and selling nice, smelly products. And later she started making beautiful hand stitched quilts. These she gave to friends and family and some she donated to the church. In 1958, Lucas and Cleo learned that they were expecting another little angel. Enter Peter Angelo. He was born on the 1st of June of 1959, and was the light of their lives. Lucas took him everywhere. Cleo worked nights and while she sometimes dozed off during the day Peter stood watch, opening her eyelids at times to be sure that she was still in there. They enrolled Peter at Presentation where he thrived. When Lucas died Cleo was left to raise her 10 year old, which she did with courage and persistence. Cleo and Peter bonded together. She encouraged Peter in all that he did, in school, in Mensa, in scouts, in just being a kid. She took him on road trips all across Colorado, to Disneyland, and elsewhere. She was involved as a leader in scouts and went on many of the outings with his troop. She knew all of his friends and took them places as well. When Peter grew up and left home Cleo was involved in Presentation Parish, as an extraordinary Eucharistic Minister, taking communion to the home bound and working in the food bank taking food to the needy in her community. She worked ceaselessly for the Democratic Party, was one of the first Senior Interns that Senator Tim Wirth sent to Washington and then continued to work with other senior citizens to promote the program. She worked hard for Federico Pena and Don Mares, and once attended a luncheon with Ted Kennedy. She was an election judge for many years. One of her Grandsons, Michael remembers when she took him and his mother to boycott Governor Vanderhoof. To this day he remembers them all standing in front of the hotel shouting, ""Come on out Vanderhoof! Come on out, Vanderhoof!"" When her grandchildren started arriving, it was just something else for her to do with her time. They spent many days and evenings with her. She had fun with them, and showed them many things. They all remember her for the good times they had with her. Her grandchildren lifted her up. She was always there for them and they for her. And her great-grandchildren as well. They always loved Grandma Cleo who was always there to read a book to them or to sit them on her lap. When her eldest brother, Moises, fell subject to dementia and she saw this very wise man deteriorate mentally she feared greatly, saying she never wanted to loose her memory. I believe that it was a blessing that she didn't know she did. Cleo was a physically strong lady, working in the fields as a child and always having a large productive garden in her home. She had beautiful flowers and every year had a giant zucchini to take a picture with. She would dig a hole, add a scoop of peat moss, put in a tomato (or other) plant and go on to the next one. Her plants thrived. I never knew of her having any duds. Cleo was strong until the day she died. She suffered, was confused, and very, very tired of fighting the good fight. She was anointed by Father Joy of IHM and by her friend, Father James, of St. Joan of Arc. We all told her how much we loved her, how she didn't have to suffer anymore, how it was okay to go, the angels were waiting. But she must have thought she was the energizer bunny. She just kept going and going and going. I was so blessed to be there for her passing. She was very peaceful that last morning. The nurse and aid came in to minister to her. The CNA spoke to her in Spanish, which was always comforting for her. And Deacon Geno came, rushed as he had a funeral to go to. But he prayed for her, sprinkled holy water on her, made a cross on her forehead with holy oil, and lovingly told her ""It's time to go, Cleo, let the angels carry you to the Kingdom of Abraham…"" He told her more, but I don't remember. The nurse said the hair on the back of her neck stood up when she saw the look of peace that came over Mom. Deacon Geno left. And within minutes Cleo took her last breaths. She had indeed let the angels carry her home. Cleo was a wonderful daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt and friend. She was loved by all and will be sorely missed. From the perspective of her loving daughter, Judy Yates