Theodore (Ted) B. Salazar passed away May 20, 2024, in Reston, Virginia. He was born in Consumers, Utah April 18, 1930, to Maria Aurelia Martinez and Eudoro Salazar, the fourth of six children. Ted spent his early childhood in the canyons and coal mining camps of central Utah before the family moved to Price, Utah. In Price, he attended Notre Dame School and Carbon County High School; class of 1948, where he was a member of the basketball, football, and track teams and discovered his talent for art in creating stage sets for the school’s theater. While still in school, he began working as an engine dispatcher for the Denver Rio Grande Western Railroad in Helper, Utah.
In 1951 Ted Salazar was drafted into the US Army and was stationed in Japan as part of the transportation unit. He attained the rank of corporal and received an honorable discharge in 1953.
After his service, he came to Washington, D.C. to attend the Catholic University of America, earning his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees, 1963. He made the Washington area his home for 70 years, raising a family, teaching art, and being of service to many communities of the capital region.
Ted Salazar met his wife, Lois Ann Mortashed, in an art class at Catholic University and they were married in 1961 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Alexandria, Virginia. Their marriage of 63 years was a true partnership based on a foundation of love and respect for each other, devotion to family, and their shared passion for art and teaching. Ted was devoted to his two children, Teddy and Maria. He was always available for soccer games or band concerts and expanded his support by volunteering as a cub scout den parent, a soccer coach, president of the Parent Teacher Association for Lake Anne Elementary School, and president of the Herndon High School Band Boosters. The family’s summer-long car trips across the country kept them connected with family in Utah and New Mexico and gave them a love of the outdoors and nature through visits to many national parks along the way.
From 1960 to 1967 Ted Salazar was chairman and teacher, Art Department at Washington DC public schools, and taught at Woodson Jr High and Ballou Sr High Schools. From 1967 to 1993 he was an assistant professor of art at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. and taught a broad range of art disciplines. He also served as Chairman of the Art Department from 1983 to 1989.
In retirement he continued his love of teaching and community service by teaching English at the Neighborhood Resource Center in Herndon, Virginia, using his fluency in Spanish to help many new arrivals learn English. He later transitioned to teaching US Citizenship classes and took great pride in helping over 40 people obtain their US citizenship.
Ted Salazar was an accomplished artist creating numerous drawings and paintings in multiple mediums including portraits, figures, landscapes and abstracts; sculptures made from welded steel, carved wood, and ceramics; ceramic pottery; and jewelry using precious metals. When the Salazar family moved to Reston in 1970, Ted and Lois quickly became active in the nascent art community – they were founding members of the Reston Craft Guild and early participants with the Greater Reston Art Center (GRACE) and participated in the early Reston festivals where they sold their artwork and Ted held pottery demonstrations. He was commissioned to design and create public art works including stoneware baptismal font and holy water fonts for St. Thomas a Becket Catholic Church in Reston, stoneware communion ware and baptismal font for The Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Reston, and a commemorative sculpture made of welded steel and ceramic plaques for the Reston-Herndon Fairfax County Regional Library. He also exhibited his art at individual and group shows at Gallaudet, Northern Virginia Community College, GRACE, and Virginia Craft Council shows.
Ted Salazar is survived by his wife Lois (Reston, VA), children Teddy (Sarah Meyer) (Durham, NC) and Maria (Catharpin, VA), sister Virginia (Salt Lake City, UT), grandchildren Theo and Izzy, and many beloved nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorial donations in Ted’s name can be given to the Herndon Neighborhood Resource Center by mail at Cornerstones, Inc., 11150 Sunset Hills Road, Suite 210, Reston, VA 20190. Or online: https://www.cornerstonesva.org/ways-to-give/