BINGHAM OBITUARY for MAX SALAZAR II from ADELA S. LUCERO

Obituary         

Maximillian Benjamin Salazar,ll,67

Max B. Salazar II,  passed away 3 January 1996, in a local hospital after a brief illness. 

My friend Max

Max was born 15 December 1928, in Sunrise, Wyoming, to Max B. I and Antonio (Sanchez) Salazar.  He was raised and educated in Bingham Canyon, Utah.

When Max was 13 years old, he lied about his age and enlisted in the Navy.  He was Utah’s youngest veteran in World War II and was honorably discharged when his age was discovered at 15 while recovering from wounds he received at Saipan for saving his commanding officer who was trapped in some burning oil.  For this act of bravery, he was awarded the Presidential Citation.  While in the Pacific Theater, he served in six major campaigns.  Following his discharge, he returned to a hero’s welcome in his home town of Bingham Canyon, Utah and resumed his education.  He later enlisted in the Merchant Marines and Army Transportation Corp where he sailed extensively around the world.  While in the Merchant Marines, Seaman Salazar served aboard the USS Marmac Gull which was hit by a bomb from a Japanese plane about 200 miles from Okinawa.  He was missing in action for one month before he and 41 crew members were found on a remote island and rescued by a Navy transport plane.

Max with President Kennedy

At an early age, he boxed as an amateur in the state of Utah in 1947 to 1848 was the Welter Weight Champion of the Intermountain area.  He later boxed professionally for a brief period.  Max Played youth and American Legion Baseball while in Utah.  He also played for the Miners Union Team of the Copper League here in Butte until he broke his leg at the Belmont Mine and was no longer able to participate in the sport he loved so much.  Max was a Contract Miner and Shift Boss for the Anaconda Company and later served as Vice President  and Financial Secretary of the Butte Miners union Local No I.  after the Union merger with the United Steelworkers of America, Max was their first elected Treasurer under the new Charter.  He resigned that when he was appointed State Mine Inspector.  After serving as Chief Mine Inspector, he took office as Bureau Chief of Safety and Health for the State of Montana.  He was forced into early retirement in 1981 as a result of a car accident that left him with severe  injuries. 

Max was a past member of the Board of Directors of the mine Inspectors Institute of America and Chairman of the National Association of State Mine Inspector Agencies.  He was appointed by the Secretary of Interior to serve on a national advisory committee to promote Safety and Health Rules and Regulations for the metal and non-metal mining industry.  He was also a past member of the Board of Director of Economic Opportunity which is now known as the Human Resource Council. 

Max with President Johnson

In 1978 he was named as Honorary Kentucky Colonel by Kentucky Governor Julian Carroll.  He was also a Commissioner of Baseball in the Industrial League and was an active supporter of American Legion  Baseball.  Max was a member and past Grand Knight of Columbus Council 668 and past Faithful Navigator of John F. Kennedy Assembly, Knights of Columbus Forth Degree.  He was also a member of the McQueen Athletic Club.   Max was a Charter Member of the Rock Mountain Association for the retarded children and was elected its first Treasurer.  Max and Virginia were instrumental in organizing the first Sheltered Workshop in in Montana.  Max was also currently serving on the Butte and Anaconda National Labor History Landmark Program Committee. 

On August, 1952, Max married Virginia C. Jones in Bingham Canyon, Utah, and together they raised 15 children.

He is survived by his devoted wife,  Gin of butte.; his mother, Antonia Lopez of Kearns, Utah; step mother, Margaret Salazar of Butte; his sons, Tony and Tim of Butte; sons and daughters-in-law, Mike and Louana of Butte, Mark and Faye of Fort Bragg, NC, Max III and Melissa of Spokane, WA, daughters, Terry and Jacqueline of Butte,; daughters and sons-in-laws Tracy and Rick Michaelis of Sheridan, WY, Kelly and Chris Ward of Conrad, MT, Jenny and her fiance Dan Fawcett of Anchorage, AK, Pamela and Randy O’Leary, Peggy and Bernie Boyle, Patty and Duane Rigby and Kerry and Greg O’Leary all of Butte.

He is also survived by his sister and brother-in-law, Adela and Moses Lucero of Kearns, UT., brothers, Albert and Charles of Anchorage, AK, sister-in-law, Eileen Hartzog of Spokane, WA,  Ted and Muriel Jones of Arvada CO, also surviving 19 grandchildren 3 great grand children and several aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. 

Adela Salazar
 Copperfield

Max was preceded in death by his father, Max I on November 24 1995; his son, Steven, mother and father-in-laws Ted and Louise  Jones, sisters-in-law Isabella and Betty Salazar.

He enjoyed watching his grandchildren in their various school and sporting activities. 

He will be sadly missed by all his family and many friends, but always remembered for his witty sense of humor, and kind deeds he did for many people.

Max Salazar

Reported missing

Bingham Bulletin

Max Salazar Jr., 16, son of Mr. and Mrs. Salazar Sr.  588, Copperfield is reported missing in action by the War Shipping Administration.  The telegram received by Salazar’s parents stated that the ship USS Mormac Gulf  on which Salazar was serving was reported lost 25 August and five survivors were picked up.  There is a chance that Salazar will be picked up, and if so, his parents will be notified as soon as possible. 

Salazar was born 5 December 1928 at Cheyenne, Wyoming.   Members of his family, includes his parents of Copperfield; two brothers, Albert Salazar of Tooele and Charles Salazar, now serving in the Navy, a sister, Adela Salazar of Copperfield, and an Uncle, Selso Sanchez, now serving on the USS Pursuit.

Salazar joined the Navy in August 1943 and trained at Farragut, Idaho before receiving  amphibious training in California.  

In spite of his extreme youth he was a veteran of 11 months in the Pacific.  Which includes six major campaigns, Kwajalein, Engibe,  Eniwetok, Wake, Guam and Saipan.  In the last named battle after being wounded Max was found by naval authorities to be too young for service, shipped to Honolulu, honorable discharged and sent home.

Salazar was 14 when he received a presidential citation for rescuing his commanding officer, who was trapped in burning oil. 

After discharge from the Navy, Salazar enlisted in the Martine Service in April 1945, and took boot training at Catalina Island, California.  He was home on a 17 day leave the latter part of June.  He left California 15 August.

Salazar’s last letter was dated, V.J. Day.(Victory Japan)  he said, “Happy Day. War’s over.

EASY WHEN YOU KNOW

 by Betty Ann Raymond

Standard Woman’s Editor

Max and Virginia Salazar, 1026 W Granite are the parents of a large size family. 

When rearing 15 children it would appear that it would be necessary to economize on one very thing except patients.

Mrs. Salazar is quite mater-of-fact about her accomplishments. 

“Actually there were never 15 children at home.  Three were not home when Jackie (who is 3) was born,” she said.

THE BROOD climbs to Mike, the eldest who is 24.

Virginia dismisses cooking for the gang with the fact it’s easy because all her pans are large so she just fills them.  “I don’t know what I would do if I had to cook for four people for a month.” she said laughingly.  “There sure would be a lot of leftovers or waste or something.”

She said a nightly ritual is someone in the kitchen boiling up a few potatoes for breakfast hash browns to go with about two dozen eggs. 

Virginia said breakfast used to include ham but high prices have relegated such fare to an occasional treat. 

“We use a lot of turkey---probably two or three a month.  “There’s a lot you can do with turkey, she said.    

The Salazars purchase their beef from a packing house in Roundup.

“We use a lot of pot roasts,” she said.

“I take the leavings from a 12 pound pot roast and make home-made soup often.”

“She said the kids are apt to moan. Not soup again, but they eat every bit it.”

Her beef soup is a nourishing meal containing carrots, onions, celery, macaroni, a little barley, and tomato juice.

Meat loaf is a standby.

She uses frozen bread dough and made into family favorites.  “I’m sure glad I moved to Butte because I learned to make pasties.  They are so good and economical too.  I might not of learned to make them anywhere else,” said Virginia who grew up around Pony and Harrison.

Being married to a fellow by the name of Salazar called for becoming an expert at enchiladas and tortillas during her first year of marriage. 

Dad Salazar is home only on weekends.  Virginia said he is the Chief mine inspector for the State of Montana and that his work takes him all over the country, “wherever there is rock

SHE AND THE CHILDREN laughed at the question whether it was a lack of time or inclination that kept Max from getting too involved with house hold capers.

“He’s always willing to get me all the materials I need,” she said. 

Virginia recently built a large closet in her bedroom. 

She knows there are 1025 bricks in the backyard barbecue because she placed them in concrete last summer. 

Max hauled the used brick for her when the Harrison School was being razed. 

“Oh, and he’s cleaned a lot of bricks for me too”, Virginia said.

Her winter spare time was spent making five patchwork quilts, bedspread size out of pieces from children’s clothing saved for years. 

“I sew most of the kid’s clothes,” she said.  She didn’t learn until about five years ago when two og the kids were to perform in Moods in Music.

“BEFORE MY MOTHER DIED, she did all my sewing.  When they came home and said what they had to have, I decided I had better learn,” she said. 

Though Virginia seems the picture of serenity, she has to have had hectic years.

Nine of her 15 children were premature.

The premature birth of twins, followed by two more preemies gave her four children in 18 months.

Copperfield where Max lived

Virginia Salazar and her children have great rapport.

“If you’re not sure of something, you go right to mom.  That’s the first thing everyone does,” said Peggy who has one more year at Butte High.    

Max is reportedly a no-nonsense father.

“They respect but when he says something, that’s it,” his wife said of her husband’s authority. 

“I get scared up to a point,” said Peg.  But he’s a pretty neat guy.

VIRGINIA SAID her older girls “can get by cooking.” 

“We’ll never be like mom,” Pam predicted. 

“I think we all learned not to have a big family.  Oh, I don’t mind living in a big family but I could not raise one,” she said

House rules decree the three oldest girls may each have four evenings a week away from home but not all three at once.

“That rule isn’t just so I can have a sitter if I need one either,” said Virginia. 

“But young people are apt to be away from home all the time.  Then when they are older they look back and realize they never were in their own home long enough to enjoy it.  I know because I was that way too. 

Virginia said she and Max are charter members of the Rocky Mountain Association for Retarded Children.  

Their Terry, Tim’s twin is mentally retarded and blind.  She has been a resident of Boulder River School for 10 years.  She is 20.

Copperfield "4thJuly"

WHILE SUCH A family presents the unexpected, there are things you can count on: Like, the washer goes all morning: you could iron at any given moment and it’s a rare week that isn’t committed to at least two dental appointments.  

Salazars not mentioned as yet are Tony, Tracy, Pat, Mark Steve, Kerry, Jenny, Kelly and Max III.

Max III is an Evel Knievel worshipper.

When the TV recently showed the injured cyclist in Butte on a stretcher, the little boy sat glued to the newscast.

“Is that really Evel Knievel?” asked Max in disbelief.  His mom said yes it really was. 

“Now they will have to get another guy for his motor bike,” was the small boy’s deposition of his fallen hero’s problem.

Virginia claims her six boys and nine girls have been no more a problem than three or four would have been.

To what does she attribute to that?

“Practice,” Peggy answered for her mother.