The Story of Maria del Socorro Gallego

 In 1910, Maria del Socorro Gallego was born in Imuris, Sonora Mexico. Maria was the first of nine children who would survive to adulthood. As the firstborn daughter, she was tasked with taking care of her siblings while her parents were away. Despite this, she had a great love for school and grew up fiercely independent. Although she never went to college, she opened an ice cream parlor in Imuris around the age of eighteen and soon met the love of her life. Ernesto Elias came into her life and together started a great love story. 

    Ernesto was from a generationally wealthy family, and married against the wishes of his father. Maria did not come from money, and Ernesto's father, Gesualdo Elias, did not support the union because of this. Maria and Ernesto had two children together, but only one would live past infancy. Emma, my grandmother, was born in 1940 (immigration accidentally put 1941 when they came to America). Through the interventions of his father, Ernesto was persuaded to leave Maria. According to my grandmother, this was devastating for her mother. The separation and eventual divorce of her parents was so heartbreaking for Maria, that she decided to leave Mexico and immigrate to America. This desire to leave grew when Ernesto remarried the woman his father chose for him only a year after their divorce. Ernesto was reluctant to relinquish custody of Emma, but eventually gave permission for Maria to take Emma to America. Emma was seven when they came to America.

    Maria and Emma were sponsored by Judge William G. Hall and his wife in Tucson, Arizona. Maria and Emma lived with the judge for eight months before Maria bought a home. Maria had sold everything she owned in Mexico including the parlor and her truck, in Tucson she saved every penny from making and selling tamales in order to buy a small grocery store. Operating the store was good for her and Emma for many years. My grandmother recounted a period of about three and a half years where business in Tucson suffered, so Maria sold the grocery store and moved them from Tucson to about 20 miles out of Los Angeles in California. There, Maria worked for the Starkist, tuna packaging facility. Emma was in her late teens when they moved back to Tucson, Maria did not want to send Emma to the school in California because it was too far from home. When they returned to Tucson, Maria opened a to-go restaurant for Mexican food and saved her money to buy back the grocery store. 

    For many years, Emma and Maria continued to live and work in Tucson. Maria never remarried. Although, my grandmother remembers when many people would come by the grocery store and present eligible bachelors, Maria was only ever in love with one man. When Emma was in her early 20s, she started noticing her mother having health issues and soon, Maria was diagnosed with a brain tumor. In the 60s, there was only one neurologist in Tucson and brain surgery had high mortality rates. Maria lived only a few months after diagnosis and passed away at the age of 54 in 1964. 

    Maria and Emma were very close, and the loss of her mother was devastating. Emma was only 24, and alone for the first time. Ernesto, still living in Mexico, sent his chauffeur to help Emma take care of Maria's affairs. Maria was taken back to Imuris and buried with her parents. Maria was an industrious woman, who loved her daughter very much, and lived her life exactly how she wanted to. Her success in life was not overshadowed by the devastating separation from the only man she ever loved, and her daughter lived on to have two children then four grandchildren with the same spirit she passed down to her daughter.

Maria pictured right, Emma on the left.

Sources:

Medina, Emma. 2023. Interview by Emma Gould. Phoenix, Arizona. July 5^th, 2023.