Mrs. Maria “Chelo” Guajardo, 80, passed away after a brief illness on Friday, June 30, 2023.
Chelo was born on August 19, 1942, in Laredo Texas, to Felix and Crescencia Salinas. While still a child, her family moved to Ropes, where in 1961, she graduated as Salutatorian from Ropes High School.
In October 1965, sitting at the lunch counter at Woolworths in Lubbock, Chelo met Roberto Guajardo, Jr.
After a brief courtship, they were married in February 1966. Robert’s service in the Marines took them to California where they lived until 1969, when they moved their family to Levelland.
Chelo then began her thirtyyear career at Levelland Independent School District. She spent two years at Carver as a teacher’s aide, then moved to Cactus Elementary where she would remain until her retirement in 2005. While at Cactus, she worked as a teacher’s aide, librarian and 3rd grade teacher.
Education was extremely important to Chelo. While working and raising her three daughters, she found time to further her own education by receiving an Associate degree from South Plains College.
Following that, Chelo enrolled at Texas Tech University, where in 1984, she graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Bilingual Education. Following their mother’s example, all three of her daughters would go on to receive higher education degrees – Roxanne a Bachelor of Science in Special Education, Liana a Master’s in Business Administration and Lesli a Doctorate in Education Leadership.
Chelo loved to workout and could frequently be found at Energy Fitness gym. She also enjoyed collecting recipes, going to casinos, watching Wheel of Fortune and traveling with Robert. Chelo is survived by her husband, Roberto Guajardo, Jr, daughters Roxanne Baker (Bubba), Liana Garza, (Joe) and Lesli Guajardo, grandchildren Jessica Guajardo, Jerika Quezada, Lesli Quezada, and Bobby Quezada, thirteen great grandchildren, special niece Sylvia Hargefeld, and goddaughter Lydia Rickard.
A memorial service will be held on Friday, July 7 th , 2023 beginning at 7:00 pm at Studebaker Events Center, 520 Ave H, Levelland, TX 79336. The family will be available at 6:30 pm to receive guests prior to the service.
In lieu of flowers, the family would like to request donations be made to either of the following: TTU Foundation Roberto Cortez Guajardo Memorial Scholarship Endowment www.give.ttu.edu/roberto-cguajardo (806) 742-2211 Interim Hospice of Levelland 727 S. Alamo Rd, Levelland, TX 79336 (806) 897-1485