February 23, 1950 – January 6, 2023
FORT WORTH – Dr. Martha Morolez-de Anda, 72, met her soulmate in Heaven, Carlos F de Anda on Friday, Jan. 6, 2023. There is nothing more she wanted than to reunite with her beloved “Viejito Lindo. It’s with no uncertainty their reunion in heaven was as joyous as her full accomplished life was during her time on this Earth.
Funeral Service: 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, in Greenwood Chapel. Interment: Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery. Visitation: 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 23, 2023 at Greenwood.
Martha Morolez was born Feb. 23, 1950, in Monterrey Mexico, the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo Leon Mexico. She was the youngest child of proud Mexican immigrants Maria Elvira Morolez and Salome C Morolez.
Preceding her in death was her beloved husband of 45 years, Carlos Francisco de Anda.
Family members left to cherish the liveliness of her spirit, Martha’s older brother Juan Morolez “Mano” and wife, Estella Morolez “Stella”, of Onalaska, Texas; their tremendous trio of sons of Juan and Estella Morolez, Eduardo “Eddie”, Alejandro “Alex”, and Javier “JAVIER!” Morolez, all who Martha loved to wrangle and rally with her nephews as often as possible.
Her son, Juan Carlos de Anda I “Mijo” and fiancé, Melissa Cantu of Greenville, Texas, Juan Carlos, “JC”, was Martha’s pride and joy, her only son who she adored with her entire soul. JC shared with his mother of his recent engagement to Mel Cantu, to which Martha responded with one question, “Are you happy?” Obviously, the answer was yes but to see the joy in Martha’s eyes when she realized that she was leaving her Mijo with a beautiful, happy woman was a moment of a lifetime fitting of Martha’s golden hour.
Her daughter, Lourdes Rubi de Anda and husband of 19 years, Luis Chavez, Jr., and sole granddaughter, Salomé Dot Chavez of Itasca, Texas. Lourdes was Martha’s only daughter who undoubtedly caused Martha’s already hot Latina blood to boil daily but Martha would also say was why her hair grew white. The mother-daughter dynamic between Martha and Lourdes is one to cherish for an eternity. Salomé Dot Chavez, “Pinguina”, Martha’s only granddaughter was the love her life. Salomé was named after Martha’s father and is as gorgeous inside and out, and as deeply creative as Martha was.
Martha grew up in West Texas, Brownfield, Texas where she proudly recalled starting work at a very young age picking cotton with her family. Growing up in a predominantly Caucasian Primary and Secondary school environment and speaking English as a second language, instilled in Martha the motivation to rise through the ranks of education, High School, Undergraduate, Graduate, and Doctorial programs, despite having very little funding and learning English during her childhood.
Martha Morolez “didn’t waste time and she did it!” and acquired her Bachelor’s, Master’s, Doctoral and Teaching Certificate all from Texas Woman’s University of Denton, all degrees in the area of the study of Education and Teaching. Dr de Anda’s doctorial studies focused on Early Childhood Education with English as a second language. During her time in Denton, Martha met her husband Carlos de Anda who she later married and stayed married to for 45 years.
Dr. Martha Morolez-de Anda spent 30 years in the Fort Worth Independent School District. She was hired in the early 70’s as a 2nd grade teacher who participated in the Court Order busing of ESL children so that they could get an education which remained in compliance with the new ESL Education laws of Texas.
Quoted from an esteemed colleague and mentor who Martha called “The Guru of ESL in Texas”, Rudy Rodriguez, Sr., recently wrote, “Martha was a recent graduate of the Texas Woman’s University’s bilingual teacher ed program called BECA when she was recruited to join the dynamic 1970’s team of FWISD bilingual educators. She together with her colleagues blazed a new trail leading to the eventual implementation of the district’s quality/dual language program successfully operating in FWISD today.”
Dr de Anda spent most of her teaching career as a Kindergarten teacher where she completed a substantial piece of her original research within her own Kindergarten classroom which she later presented her theories as a dissertation which she then acquired her PhD in 1993.
Dr de Anda was the epitome of the modern-day woman who not only worked full time teaching, but she attended her Doctoral classes in Denton in the evenings with her two young children in tow and was fully in charge of her household. She was the original user of the crock pot and co-parented seamlessly with her husband Carlos. JC and Lourdes knew the hallways and library of TWU very well. One could say JC got his savviness for electronics because his mother had her 7-year-old son make hundreds of xerox copies of resources she used for her studies. One could say Lourdes mastered her ways of manipulation by learning ways to torment her little brother by ditching him in the creepy staircases of the college library and by “accidentally” sandwiching her little brother in- between the stacks of books that were conveniently operated by giant wheels on giant tracks.
Dr. Martha Morolez-de Anda was the first principal of Alice Contreras Elementary School in Fort Worth. Dr de Anda named the school after her personal mentor, Alice D. Contreras who she referred to as “La Senora”. The bubbly Senora is who pushed Martha to not waste time joining social clubs but instead to hurry and get her studies done so that she could help more children. From this mentality Martha would say “I just don’t like to belong; I like to do.”
Martha leaves behind God children, cousins, sister-in laws, a brother-in-law, those she mentored, a niece, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews, aunts, uncles, colleagues, friends, all who will forever admire her iron will and still appreciate her boundless strength.
Somewhere there is a Latina or Latino adult who never believed they had a chance in this world, until Dr. de Anda believed in them and challenged them to be the best they could be. This reality alone brings solace to her loved ones as she now is a gorgeous, shiny, guardian angel in heaven with shiny golden wings and a glamorous hat and a perfect smile.
Shine in Heaven for eternity Dr. Martha Morolez-de Anda.
