Juan Diego Salas, 77, beloved husband, father, brother, grandfather, and uncle, passed away in his home surrounded by his wife and seven children on September 13, 2024, after a long and valiant battle with Multiple Myeloma. Born on July 18, 1947, in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico, his grandmother named him after the indigenous Indian who witnessed the appearance of La Virgen de Guadalupe in Mexico in 1531. He was a lifelong devout Catholic.

Juan apprenticed in the upholstery trade at 15 years old and worked as a professional upholsterer for 58 years. Because of his expertise, his skills were in demand, and he served many repeat clients throughout the years. His work ranged from custom, residential and commercial furniture, to vehicle upholstery which included complete restoration of interiors of vintage automobiles and sports cars. His work also included upholstery and renovation projects at the historic Plaza Theater in El Paso. His skills encompassed intricate and detailed upholstery techniques such as those used to create tufted sofas and chairs, folding pleats and making each button by hand.

A lifelong music aficionado and musician, he picked up a guitar at the age of 12 and never put it down. His father taught both him and his younger brother how to play. Together, the brothers – with younger brother Pancho on bass and Juan on guitar – would continue to play for years in various bands in the Juarez, Mexico area as they explored their musical influences. Besides being influenced by early Led Zeppelin, Juan was also a huge fan of The Beatles. He was also very fond of CCR, Boston, Van Halen, and Dream Theater. Juan was influenced by the guitarists he listened to such as Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Paige, and Carlos Santana. He played regularly all through his youth and he could be found most weekends playing gigs at clubs and other events. He continued to perform with various local bands throughout most of his life and brought joy to many through his live music performances. Starting with The Hoppers in the early 70s, he was part of the nightclub scene in Juarez at venues such as El Casino Alianza, where he met Jessie, whom he later married at Guardian Angel Church in El Paso on June 12, 1971. In the 80s, he was a member of the River City Band performing the popular tunes of the day in Latin, pop and rock music. He also played with the Chito Gonzalez Orchestra, and Destiny Band. The bands played throughout El Paso at weddings, birthday celebrations, graduations, New Year’s Eve parties, and the occasional church kermes in the El Paso area.

During the Christmas holidays he made traditional Mexican buñuelos from a family recipe that was handed down by his father, who was a baker by trade. Juan loved to sit down with a big bucket of popcorn and watch James Bond movies and laugh at Mr. Bean, but his all-time favorite movie was Dumb and Dumber.

Juan is survived by his devoted and loving wife of 53 years, Jessie, their children, Jessica (Michael) of Cleveland, Ohio, Juan Jr. (Lety), Josephine (Justin), Jacob of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Julia (Sara) of Seattle, Washington, Justine, Jennifer (Ali) of Albuquerque, New Mexico, three grandchildren Alexandra, Viviana, and Enzo, his brother Francisco Sr. “Pancho”, many loving nieces and nephews, devoted friend of many years Marilie Sage, and beloved animal companion Molly the dog, aka Molecule.

He was preceded in death by his parents Antonio Sr. and Jesus Maria Salas, sister Guadalupe, brother Antonio, Jr.

Services will be held at the San Jose Funeral Home, 601 S. Virginia St., on Wednesday, September 18; visitation at 10 a.m., and Rosary at 11 a.m. Funeral Mass to be held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, 1118 N. Mesa, at 2:30 p.m. Private interment service to be held at a later date.

The family would like to thank all who provided prayers, love, and nourishment during this time.