Delia Gloria Vasquez

Delia Gloria Vasquez passed away peacefully in her home on January 20, 2021 with family members at her bedside.  A celebration of Gloria’s life will be held on March 20, 2021

Delia/Dee/Gloria/Nana/Mama Gloria, as known to family, friends, and colleagues, was born on March 22, 1940 in Corpus Christi, Texas.  She was the third child, and only daughter of Eugenio and Josefa Vasquez.  Gloria was raised by her grandmother, after her mother died unexpectedly during childbirth. 

At the age of nineteen, Gloria met and fell in love with a US Navy man from the Philippines, Rodolfo Fidel.  Soon afterwards, the two would be married and living in Rhode Island, awaiting the birth of their first son (Rudy).  Within the next six years, the family would relocate to Annapolis, Maryland and Keflavik, Iceland.  During that span, two more sons (Rey and Robert) would be born, and the family grew to a total of five.  Being part of the Navy, the family made additional stops in Virginia Beach, Virginia and Kingsville, Texas before finally settling home in San Diego, California in 1972.

In the late 1970’s, Gloria decided to go back to school and finished college.  After graduating from San Diego State University with a Bachelor’s degree, Gloria began her second career as an educator.   For 30 plus years, Gloria taught and helped the underserved Latino community in San Diego.  The majority of her teaching career, along with her teaching successes occurred at Sherman Elementary, located in the historic Sherman Heights neighborhood.  During this time, Gloria actively exposed her students to various adventures and experiences outside their normal settings.  In doing so, new seeds of possibilities were planted, resulting in many of her students pursuing and completing higher education.  Gloria, herself continued with her own education and received a Master’s degree in Education from the Alliant International University (formally known as United States International University).

After retiring as an educator, Gloria enjoyed visiting and spending time with her grandchildren, including her two new great-grandchildren. Gloria was (and will always be) a diehard Dallas Cowboy fan.  She loved attending Thanksgiving Day football games at Cowboy’s stadium with her sons Rudy and Robert, and her grandsons Alex and Zachary.

Gloria was also a devoted Catholic and an active member of her church groups in San Diego and Tijuana.

Gloria is survived by her 2nd husband of 40 years, Luis David Castillo; her 3 sons and their spouses: Rudy Fidel, Rey and Coco Fidel, and Robert and Ruth Fidel; her 8 grandchildren: Joshua and his wife Letricia Fidel, Adam, Alex, Camille, Zachary, Anthony, Macy, and Samantha; and her 2 great-grandchildren: Joshua and Ava.

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