Lorenza D Contreras

“Mom”

Lorenza D. Contreras, of El Paso, Texas, passed away peacefully on Sunday, January 14, 2024 at the age of 94. She was born on March 11, 1929, in El Paso, Texas to Filomeno Dominguez Gurrola and Antonia Gaytan Iriarte. Lorenza was blessed with 10 siblings, SimonϮ, ConcepcionϮ, FilomenoϮ, CarlosϮ, DomingoϮ, LuisϮ, Rosa Maria, Francisco, Roberto and Teresa.

Lorenza (Mom) was preceded in death by her first husband, Manuel Francisco Javier Salazar SrϮ (1965), her second husband, Amadeo ContrerasϮ (2022), daughter Maria Antonieta HornϮ (RobertϮ) and son Manuel Francisco Javier Salazar JrϮ (Cynthia). She is survived by daughters Margarita Lujan (Norman), Raquel Archuleta (Samuel), and sons Leonardo Salazar (Linda), Filomeno Salazar (Teresa) and Ricardo Contreras (Deirdre). She is also survived by 4 siblings, 11 grandchildren, 24 great grandchildren, loads of nieces/nephews, huge extended family and lifelong friends.

She was born and lived in central El Paso during her first few years before moving with family to Cd. Juarez, MX. She was reared on her father’s home and dairy farm, El Rancho, in Juarez and attended a private school - Escuela Primaria Maria Martinez. Her father would take her for breakfast, then on early morning milk delivery and finally drop her off at the border to attend El Paso’s St Joseph-Loretto Private School till 9th grade. She relished the life of living in the countryside and having access to twin border cities. Her strong-willed, confident, fearless, adventurous, and friendly nature allowed her to thrive in this environment. With family living in both El Paso and Juarez, as a teenager she walked, rode the bus or ‘tranvía’ to experience international life in the 1940s.

At a very young age, she would hop on her father’s milk delivery truck, collect payment and earn a few coins. She led a carefree life surrounded by her father’s business, friends and family; she had a head for numbers, penchant for adventure and gusto for life. Being her father’s favorite, she was allowed to work instead of completing her high school education. This became one of her greatest regrets, so much so, that she would not allow her children to make the same mistake. She did her utmost to encourage, persuade, send notes to teachers/administrators and if necessary, show up at school, during her lunch hours, when we were misbehaving, cutting school or just sliding by. To her it was extremely important that her children finish high school, go to college or trade school to have an easier life than her own. She was very proud to have lived to see all her children, many nieces/nephews, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and others go above and beyond.

Mom worked hard all her life to support her family, at 16 she started working at the downtown Kress Department Store, then moved on to The Texas Store and eventually retired after a 25+ year lifelong career at JCPenny in Fox Plaza. While at Kress Department Store, she first met and became good friends with her future sisters-in-law. As the story goes, her first husband, Manuel Francisco Javier Salazar Sr. would take stackable lunches to his sisters and this is how they first met. Lorenza had invited her co-workers and good friends Conchis and Juani to some event at the ranch; Manuel heard about it and asked his sisters to inquire if he could tag along. Long story short, they fell in love and in 1947, they eloped at age 18. From 1948 to 1960, they would bring six children into the world.

In 1965, our father Manuel passed away, mom had the foresight to purchase a small house within walking distance to Hawkins Elementary in the San Juan neighborhood and only a short drive to JCPenny so she could keep a watchful eye on us. As fate would have it, mom moved next to Amadeo Contreras, a recent widower who lived there with his two children, Ruben Contreras and Isela Contreras. Over the next few years Amadeo and Lorenza would get to know each other, go to “La Chiquita” Café for dancing, friendship and camaraderie. To all’s pleasant surprise, a few years later, Ricardo Contreras was born with two families becoming a single household of nine at the corner house on Tampa and Clark.

Lorenza’s story continues, as Amadeo was getting close to retiring, his wife shared that she wanted to move back to the countryside. One day during his daily 16 mile commute to work, he would come across a 1/2 acre corner lot in Colonia San Ysidro. They purchased it in 1981; completed building the small, single room home in 1984 and moved in. Shortly thereafter he would start on the custom home, mostly built singlehandedly, to her specifications.

Lorenza eventually retired sometime after 1987 and continued to face unexpected Colonia life challenges of unpaid developer taxes, unfulfilled water and sewer development promises and other daily struggles. Together they persevered without local water and sewer services. They witnessed EPISO’s help in securing the Colonia’s properties from confiscation due to unpaid developer IRS taxes. Seeing what EPISO had done for them, Lorenza became very active EPISO member fighting for worthwhile causes and became instrumental community leader in the founding of San Felipe de Jesús Catholic Church. The community would eventually benefit with passage of a state bill that would bring Colonia San Ysidro long overdue water and sewer services. Their home became a regular community gathering place for many church, cooking, fellowship, finance, fundraising and special projects activities. The first San Felipe de Jesús Kermes was held here.

Her legacy will always be keeping a loving family together, she would lift both hands to show us her fingers and say, see all are different but forever together. The light within her was something that always showed and will carry on with her children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, extended family, friends and associates.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, January 23rd at 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm with the Rosary at 6:00 pm at Hillcrest Funeral Home, 1060 N Carolina Dr., El Paso, TX. A Funeral Mass will take place on Wednesday, January 24th at 10:30 am at San Felipe De Jesús Catholic Church, 401 Passmore Rd., Socorro, TX followed by the burial at 12:00pm at Mount Carmel Cemetery, 401 S Zaragoza Rd., El Paso, TX.