As his 5 year old great-grandson remarked after he left this world on May 16, 2023, “I wish he could’ve lived to be 100.”
While Sal (also fondly known as “Chirino” to much of his family) lived a mere 89 years on this earth, he lived them with zest, humor, and integrity. He was born the third child to Salomon Castro and Eulalia (Baca) Castro in El Paso, Texas on October 9, 1933. He moved from El Paso to Los Angeles as a youth with his brave mother and 7 siblings after his father courageously lost his life in battle during WWII. He often expressed his love of his family in a manner that was deep yet whimsical, particularly for the love of his life and his wife of 67 years, Mildred “Millie” Adams Castro. As many do, he loved to tell stories of his past experiences, but he had a particularly charming brand of whimsy and wit, often accompanied by his unique gravelly chuckle.
He was a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne, which he often joked about given his propensity for motion sickness. He was hardworking but also loved a good life adventure, which is what led him from Los Angeles to Goleta accompanied by his wife and 3 daughters in 1969, where he began a career of over a quarter century at Raytheon, often riding his bike to work. After retirement, he perfected the art of the leisurely bike ride. Even 20 mile bike rides with Sal never felt taxing because he, quite literally, would stop to smell the roses–take in nature around him, have a covert pastry and coffee while people-watching, peruse a garage sale/farmers market/bookstore.
His former work in mechanical drafting made him particularly adept at woodworking, and he often reveled in the joy of making handmade gifts. It is impossible to adequately qualify or quantify the gift he was to our lives, but to summarize a few of his other wonderful attributes: he was a proud brother and son, and a doting father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He was unwittingly stylish, humbly handsome, a ping pong sniper, and a bicycle outlaw (by his own account of his one and only traffic ticket). He had perfected the craft of the tamale, the charcoal grilled tri tip, and his minimalist guacamole. He was a voracious reader, as if unable to satiate his fascination with the world around him. He appreciated people, lighthearted banter, sexy cars, perfectly coiffed lawns, a clean kitchen, and a good cup of soup with an Arnold Palmer. He never went a day without remarking how fortunate he was to make a good life in the good land with his family.
He has gone to join his father Salomon, mother Eulalia, baby sister Celia, brothers Alberto “Beto” and Luis “Chito”, and daughter Linda. He will be greatly missed yet fondly remembered by his wife Millie, his brothers Tomas “Titi”, Carlos “Kelly”, and Raul “Boogie” Castro, sisters Elvira “Lila” Acosta and Elena “Helen” Palmerin, daughters Diana Miller and Susan Asselin, granddaughters Charlotte and Julie Parker and Gillian Zeile, his great-grandson Theodore Zeile, as well as numerous
family and friends.
