Teresa Saldaña

Teresa Saldaña, 90, of Uvalde, Texas passed away on December 5, 2025, in San Antonio. Born on May 7, 1935, in San Benito, Texas, she was the daughter of Angelina (Hernandez} Vasquez and Jose Vasquez.

On January 1, 1952, Teresa married Noe A. Saldaña in San Benito. She trained as a nurse’s aide and worked at Dolly Vincent Memorial Hospital in San Benito and later, at Harlingen Regional Hospital. After moving to Uvalde, when the last child enrolled in school, she worked at Uvalde Memorial Hospital as a nurse’s aide.

Known by “Tere,” she enjoyed sewing for friends and family. After the death of her husband of 67 years, she moved to San Antonio to be closer to her son and daughter. Tere continued as a seamstress to many in Uvalde and would often travel back home to help with alterations. She made many quinceañera and bridesmaid dresses, and the occasional wedding dress.

After moving to San Antonio, she focused her time on sewing scrub caps and port pillows for chemotherapy patients and donating them at various oncology centers in San Antonio. While in San Antonio, she learned how to make cord rosaries and helped the Rosary Guild of Prince of Peace Catholic Church with their mission to supply rosaries to military chaplain, prison ministries and overseas to India and Africa.

Teresa cherished her time with her husband, family and friends. She and her husband traveled to Hawaii for an American Legion Convention and to Montreal, Canada for a Western & Southern Life Insurance Convention. They also traveled to Fairbanks, Alaska and the North Pole, Alaska to visit their grandson at the Army base there. Together with her husband, she embarked on 18 different cruises along the Western Caribbean. Her favorite destinations were Belize and Progreso. One of her and her husband’s last cruises was a seven-day cruise to the Mexican Riviera with stops in Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta.

Together with her close friends, Imelda and Al Ramirez, Butch and Mary Helen Londonier or George and Mary Rab, she was always ready for a quick trip to the casinos in Louisiana, especially to Coushatta. Later on, they made several quick trips to the Lucky Eagle Casino in Eagle Pass, Texas.

Teresa was a lifetime member of the American Legion Auxiliary Tomas Valle Post Unit 479 and held many offices during her years there. She was on the committee that sought to fund the Veterans’ Wall at the Fairplex. She was a strong advocate for our veterans and made bags for veterans who had walkers which she donated to the VA Hospital in Kerrville.

Her constant companion was her Shitzu-poodle mix, Abby, who rarely left her side; traveling to Colorado Springs and El Paso. After Abby passed away, she was “adopted” by her daughter’s three cats and her son’s two dogs.

Teresa is survived by her daughter, Yolanda Woods (Gordon), of San Antonio; and her son, Noe V. Saldaña (Lydia), also of San Antonio; a brother, Johnny Vasquez, and wife Eva Linda, of Corpus Christi; sister-in-law Socorro Saldaña, Brownsville; sister-in-law, Ida Castillo, San Antonio; Karen Sampsell, Colorado Springs; Melissa Saldaña Padilla, Lewisville; two grandchildren, Vanessa Saldaña (Joe) of Colorado Springs, Colorado; and grandson, Sergeant First Class, Noe Justin Saldaña (McKenzie), Killeen, Texas. She is also survived by one great-granddaughter, Serena Faith Saldaña-Anderson, Colorado Springs, Colorado; and numerous nieces and nephews.

She is preceded in death by her husband of 67 years, Noe A. Saldaña; son David Saldaña; son-in-law Gordon Woods; daughter-in-law Lydia Saldaña; sister Maria Luz Vasquez, Corpus Christi; brother Jose (Pepe) Vasquez and sister-in-law Anita Vasquez, both of San Benito.

Pallbearers will include Al Ramirez, Jr., Noe Justin Saldaña, Harrison (Butch) Londonier, Al Ramirez III, Lalo Zamora and Joe Saucedo. Honorary pallbearers are members of the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 479.

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a rosary at 7 p.m. at Rushing-Estes-Knowles Mortuary.

A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Thursday, December 11, 2025, at 10 a.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

Interment will follow at Hillcrest Cemetery.

To send flowers to the family in memory of Teresa Saldaña, please visit our flower store. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 479 at P.O. Box 1575, Uvalde, Texas 78801.