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Maria was the daughter of Aurelia Gurule. Maria was raised in Placitas, New Mexico. During her childhood years with her mom she learned she could be loved and safe again. Maria was an obedient child who was quiet and very shy. She found it easy to show sympathy and to perform kind acts for others. These admirable qualities would become a part of Maria's personality throughout her life.

Maria was a peace-maker with an ability to resolve all sorts of family conflicts. In fact, Maria worked conscientiously to keep those typical family spats at bay. Maria had five siblings, KC, Alice, Mary, Andy and Nicky. Maria and her siblings grew apart for a while later reuniting and through trials and tribulations they learned to love one another.

As someone who devoted her time to work and family her life was always centered around her children. One thing Maria will certainly be remembered for is that, when she got up in the mornings, she was ready and raring to go. As a young girl, Maria lived in the country with simple country interests. Maria took part in softball but in her spare time she liked picking and roasting pinions, horseback riding, playing in the hills of Placitas and canning with Grandma Aurelia. Maria excelled in school and she loved helping her mother. For Maria, she loved school and the teacher she enjoyed learning from the most was Miss Baca.

There was one thing that all of Maria's friends knew and will still remember, and that is that she was a talker. She could pretty much talk to anybody about anything. This quality is one of the primary reasons that Maria was such a popular person throughout her life. But Maria was also dependable, loyal and trustworthy. Maria was the kind of person who simply radiated good fellowship while she maintained personal standards and her own personal values, Maria was very accepting of others. When Maria made friends, she made true and lasting friendships. While growing up, some of her best friends were Angie, Lizzy, Ruth and Uncle Georgie. Later in life, she became friends with the Mercers, Ann Howard, Lilly, Mrs. Castro, Mary and Auntie Francis not to mention all the children’s lives she touched while working for San Diego Unified School District as a Special Education Technician. Throughout her later years, Maria was an active member of the CSA.


Maria was a faithful and loving person devoted to her family. Her kindness and consideration radiated an aura of warmth to those around her. Maria cared for what others thought and carried that into her life.

Harmony was important to Maria and she made every effort to maintain it with her family. Maria was blessed with four children, Yvonne, Bernadine, Patricia and Jerome. She was also blessed with seven grandchildren, Ricardo, Daniel, Edward, Anthony, David, Daisy and Sara and three great grandchildren, Joseph, Caitlyn and Maya. Maria was always conscious of the feelings others had. She was reasonable and understanding. As a result, Maria was quick to solve disputes and did so without much fuss. Her secret of success in this area was simple: Maria would listen before she would act.

Taking her work seriously came naturally to Maria, and she expected the same from those around her. Maria was a good team player, someone who was born to cooperate with others. She was what some would call a “people person” and it was demonstrated in her good communication skills. Maria was a steady worker, one who worked multiple jobs. Her primary occupation was in the education field. She was employed for thirty-seven years by the San Diego Unified School District. She brought harmony to her work environment, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done, while always maintaining respect for her colleagues. Most importantly she loved all the children she worked with.

A simple and content woman, Maria enjoyed spending time with her family. Her favorite past times were the casinos, playing bingo, scratchers and pull tabs. She went through a phase collecting chickens, old coins and Beenie Babies.

Maria was one of those people who took pride in constantly putting forth her best effort. Maria was always protecting and loving to everyone that was a part of her life. She always put others before herself and made everyone feel safe and special. Maria’s love for sports started when she married her number love of her life, Jerry and she passed on her love for sports to her kids. Maria kept her kids active in sports, little league baseball, girl’s softball, Pop Warner football and enjoyed watching her kids play, participating as a team mom for a little league team. Maria having one son and five grandsons also became a big sports fan and enjoyed family gatherings watching sports with them every opportunity she had. Tops on her list were watching baseball and football games.


Maria was the kind of person who would readily move into action in order to help others. She was appreciated and respected. She could find value in the opinions of others and was passionate about her own values and beliefs. So its little wonder that she was active and highly valued by those in her community, she was involved in the Boys/Girls Club, Pop Warner Football, NCN Little League and the Girl Scouts of America. Politically, Maria was active in CSCA 759 as a Para Professional.

Her high moral standards and traditional values served Maria well with her faith. Religion and faith were important to her. She was a member of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. During that time, she was involved in bingo. She was well respected individual who sought to help in any manner she could.

A generous and compassionate woman, Maria accomplished much during her lifetime. Though she never set out to gain individual recognition, Maria was recognized and given awards for her many and varied efforts throughout her life. Some of her most prestigious awards included a 10 and 25 Years of Service Dedication pin.

She rarely got tired of going back and revisiting her favorite places. Favorite vacations included Las Vegas and New Mexico. Maria was a lover of animals and cherished her pets. Some of her favorites were Molly, Pretty Girl and Chiquita. Molly is still here and she had Chiquita for 3 years. Her family was rounded out by Poncho, a bird and Chongo, a cat.

Since it was easy for Maria to meet and get to know people, she quickly made friends, even in retirement. Once she met those new friends, she loved sharing stories and talking about the good old days. Since she was practical and cost effective, Maria was ready when that day to retire finally came in 2000. In retirement, she found new pleasure in volunteering as a Childhood Development Assistant. Even in retirement, Maria stayed in touch with her old friends and made plenty of new acquaintances. .

Maria passed away on October 25, 2009 at Kaiser Hospital in San Diego, California, of a stroke and pneumonia. She is survived by Yvonne, Bernadine, Patricia, Jerome, Ricardo, Daniel, Edward, David, Daisy, Sara, Joseph, Caitlyn, Maya, Alice and Mary. Services were held at Humphrey Mortuary. Maria was laid to rest in Placitas, New Mexico.

Maria was a fantastic conversationalist who could engage just about anyone in a discussion. And whenever she said something, she meant it. Maria was a down to earth person, loving and generous. She was without question the type of person who enjoyed experiencing things first hand. She was practical and sensible, but what friends and family will remember her for most is the fact that she was so understanding and kind. Her children would like to thank God for all the years that he lent us one of his Angels. Everyone whose life she touched will miss Maria Margarita Gurule.