Teresa Maria Montoya Salas

Teresa Maria Montoya Salas passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family on October 24, 2016, in Sandy, Utah.
A lovely and generous woman, Maria was the mother of 7 daughters, including identical twins. She raised her large family with grace and dedication. She delighted in her children, nieces and nephews, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, showering them with her time and attention, cards in the mail, unconditional love, and—famously—fresh fruit.
Maria was born a coal miner’s daughter, as she liked to say, in Lumberton, New Mexico, and grew up in Carbon County, Utah, in the small coal mining town of Royal. The oldest child, she helped her mother care for her six younger siblings. Her joy came from climbing trees and exploring the surrounding canyons with her brothers and sisters.
At age 19, Maria moved to Salt Lake City, where she worked as a secretary and earned her cosmetology license. Two years later, she married Julian Salas, a newly commissioned Air Force officer. Together, over the next 20 years, they raised their daughters on military bases from California to Maine, in Germany and Turkey. With her dedicated and loving hands, she eased the tumultuousness of the family’s frequent moves and regular goodbyes.
Maria had many interests. In the 1970s, she was involved with SOCIO, a Latino advocacy group; she was active in her daughters’ schools as room mother and PTA president; and she served as president of the Green River Women’s Association. When the Winter Olympics came to Salt Lake City in 2002, she jumped at the chance to volunteer. She excelled at photography, bridge, cooking and cake decorating. She was a dedicated accordion student and an avid reader, and she passed on her love of music and reading to her children and grandchildren. As her children became adults, Maria enrolled at the University of Utah to study French, psychology, and archeology. She became a docent at the Utah Museum of Natural History, where she shared her love of geology and dinosaurs with schoolchildren. She traveled throughout her life, including trips to Italy, London, Paris, and Alaska with her daughters.
More than anything, Maria loved a good time and good company. She loved festivities, community celebrations, and weddings. The dance floor called her easily and often. She found songs like the “The Twist” and “In the Mood” irresistible. Dancing the waltz with Julian was her absolute favorite.
Toward the end of her life, Maria’s joy was expressed less by her body than by her radiant face. She smiled and laughed as easily as her whole body used to run up canyons and chase small children. Her words, increasingly fewer in her last months, lost none of their humor and warmth.
Mom, Grandma, Nana, rest in peace knowing your love, devotion and enthusiasm outlive you in the form of all the lives you shaped and touched.
Maria is survived by her children Linda Montoya, Delores Peterson, Katherine Salas (Thomas Carstens), Ann Salas, Michele Salas (Patrick Quinn), Karen Salas Wheeler (David Wheeler), and Helen Salas McCarty (Scott McCarty); 17 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; 2 sisters and 3 brothers. She was preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, Julian; her parents; 2 sisters; and 2 great-grandchildren.
A funeral Mass will be held Monday, October 31, 2016, at 11 a.m. at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, 1385 Spring Lane, in Murray. A luncheon and celebration of Maria’s life will follow at noon in the Benvegnu Center next to the church. Burial services will be held at the Utah Veterans Cemetery and Memorial Park, 17111 S. Camp Williams Road, in Bluffdale. Condolences may be expressed online at www.memorialutah.com.
Service Information

Funeral Service
October 31, 2016 at 11:00 AM
St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, 1385 Spring Lane, Salt Lake City, UT