María Romero was born on Dec. 15, 1924 at the Crawford Ranch, was the oldest of 12 children and was raised in San Marcos. She was recently honored with a proclamation celebrating her 100th birthday from the city of San Marcos, recognizing Dec. 15 as María Romero Day.
“My dad was a farmer — planting corn, sugarcane and cotton in season,” Romero said. “In 1942 — I was around 18 years old at that time — we went through a period of time when there wasn’t much work. That’s when my dad met a man who told him about an office where people from the north, Ohio, came to recruit workers. The process was to sign up, and once there, they’d give you housing, food and work. People signed up in April and traveled north. We worked planting beets and in a sugar factory. Once there, they put us in little houses called ‘shanties.’” After years had passed, Romero’s mother didn’t want to stay there anymore, so they moved to Texas and ended up in San Antonio.
“In March 1949, my husband came to ask for my hand in marriage, just in time because we were signing up to go back to Ohio in April,” Romero said. “When my husband came to ask for my hand, my dad said yes without hesitation because he had known my husband since he was a boy. We got married on March 10, 1949.”
When Romero got married, they moved to San Marcos.
“I went to school to learn cosmetology,” Romero said. “I studied for six months, and thank God I passed. When I finished, my husband bought everything from a lady who was closing her shop, and we set up the beauty shop at home. God helped me a lot; I learned quickly and had the shop next to the house. I opened my salon, Mary’s Beauty Shop, in 1960.”
Romero and her husband had three children.
“My oldest daughter Margie was born in June 1952, my son JP in 1955 and Robert, the youngest, in 1958,” she said. “I closed my business and retired in 1993.”
Romero said her mother Gabriela Hernández de Saucedo is her biggest influence and always gave the best advice. She was also influenced by her mother-in-law, another strong female figure in her life.
“[My mother] said to me, ‘Even if you’re at home, you need to take care of yourself and your children,’” Romero said. “My mother-in-law also influenced me. She always told me, ‘Don’t worry, dear, I’ll help you.’ She taught me to make tamales.”
Romero has fond memories of Christmastime from her youth.
“One thing that I always remember, especially now that Christmas is coming, is when I was a child, and they put up a Christmas tree at church,” Romero said. “There were many children, and we were told Santa Claus was coming. So we stood up, waiting to see him. When Santa Claus entered, all the children ran to hug him, but I didn’t get too close. When Santa Claus said, ‘Take a seat,’ I recognized my dad’s voice. We sat down, sang and had a beautiful service. They gave us little bags with fruit, candy and nuts, and the service continued. Afterwards, everyone went home and my dad never told us he was Santa Claus, and I didn’t tell him I recognized him either.”
Romero is grateful for her husband Juan and the blessings bestowed upon them.
“God gave us happiness,” she said. “My husband Juan provided us with a home, furniture and everything we needed. I can say that God was faithful. We never lacked anything; God always provided, and we were very happy.”
Romero is very proud of her children.
“My children, especially my son — he means everything to me, and so does my God,” she said. “We’ve talked, and he gives me advice.”
Romero doesn’t feel she has missed out on anything in her century on earth.
“I’m very grateful for what the Lord allowed me to do,” she said. “The hardest thing was attending cosmetology school because I had to finish high school to enroll. I studied at night after finishing the housework. My husband would tell me to go to sleep, but I stayed up late to study.”
When she was younger, Romero taught Sunday school.
“Many children attended. Later, I joined the women’s group. Living on the ranch, I got to know the other women. I loved sitting with them—they were so beautiful and welldressed, with curls and makeup,” she said. “I also helped by cooking and making tamales, which I really enjoyed.”
To mark the special occasion, which is both her day of birth and a day named in her honor, a celebration is planned on Dec. 15 with family and friends.
