Maria F. Salcido

MARIA F. SALCIDO

Of Scott Township, on Saturday, January 15, 2022.  Beloved mother of David D., Alexandra and Tony; grandmother of Dylan, Ethan and Leo.

Maria was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and was raised by her extended family, the Yimins, in the Hill District and Brookline neighborhoods of the city. She said that at the time of her birth, she was left at the hospital, and it was her aunt Cecelia and her uncle Leo who finally sent for her. They would remain like parental figures for her throughout her life. While she had no siblings, her cousins Suzy, Gemma, and Cindy were like sisters to her. The same aunt and uncle who brought her home helped define her unique confidence and spirit and would encourage her to attend college at Mount Mercy College (now Carlow) and complete her Bachelor of Arts in History, preparing her to be a teacher. After college, she married Antonio Salcido, an engineer and musician from Guadalajara, Mexico, whom she would later divorce in the early 1990s. During the early years of their marriage, they traveled extensively, and for a time Maria lived and taught English at an international school in Mexico. While this may have been daunting to some, she loved the opportunity to travel, spoke Spanish fluently and a little French, and made friends wherever she went. Their first child, Antonio Jr., suffered a traumatic burn from an overturned thermos of tea as a toddler, sustaining scars and complex lifelong behavioral and emotional effects, compounded by autism, for the rest of his life. Maria cared for Tony until her incapacitation only a few months before her death, selflessly shepherding him through medical care, special education programs, and sheltered workshops. They were nearly inseparable.  In  addition to caring for Tony, Maria became a general advocate for people with intellectual disabilities, serving on a number of non-profit boards and working for a time as an advocate. Maria suffered but overcame many health issues throughout her life. As a child she contracted a number of childhood diseases that have since been eliminated by vaccines, and as a proud Pittsburgher from that era, she spoke with pride about Jonas Salk’s work. She was also a cardiac arrest survivor, requiring resuscitation while giving birth to her youngest child David, a fact she never let him forget. Maria was also a transplant recipient, overcoming end-stage renal failure and years of dialysis in the 1990s, and maintaining her new kidney until her death. Maria would have many jobs throughout her middle and later life. She was an entrepreneur, starting her own event planning business. She was a real estate agent, working primarily in the South Hills suburbs of Pittsburgh. She even sold life insurance for a time. But, Maria was most passionate about teaching. In her late 40s she went back to school and obtained a MEd from Duquesne University. While she never found permanent full-time employment as a teacher after that, she taught as a substitute in many schools throughout Western Pennsylvania. For some time she even taught prisoners in state correctional institutions. Toward the end of her life, Maria loved spending time with her grandson Leo Salcido, whom she adored, as well as watching and discussing old movies, and talking to old and new friends. She had a strong Catholic faith and was raised in the Maronite rite, reflecting her Lebanese heritage. She was a funny, intelligent and beautiful person. 

Visitation and services are by family invitation only.

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