Ida Grace Sallas

Ida Grace Sallas passed away on Monday, October 15th, surrounded by the love of her family. She was a loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, and friend. She was known for her deep commitment to her family, unyielding faith, and her passion for teaching and helping others.

Ida was born in Brawley, CA and came to the Bay Area in the 1940s. She attended Mountain View High School. Ida received her Bachelor of Arts in Social Science in 1981 and her Masters of Arts in Education in 1991 from San Jose State University while raising three children. She taught high school for approximately 40 years and spent 35 of those years at William C. Overfelt High School in East San Jose where she was awarded the Outstanding Teacher Award as a Bilingual Social Studies Teacher from The National Hispanic University in 1999. Ida remained active in her retirement. Proud of her Apache-Chircahua heritage, she served on the Board of Directors for the Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley. She was a member of the Catholic Church as a parishioner at St. Joseph of Cupertino. She carried her love of teaching throughout her life, tutoring neighborhood children up until her last week of life.

Ida is survived by her children Teresa Sallas, John Michael Sallas (Jack), and Noreen Ivie (Craig); grandchildren Mary Osborn (Adam) and Anna Sallas (Sean); and great-grandchild Bellamy Osborn. She is also survived by her siblings Gloria Ramirez, Dolores Olivo and Robert Olivo. She was loved by many and will be greatly missed.

Friends and family are invited to a memorial service and celebration of Ida’s life at Lima Family Santa Clara Mortuary at 466 N. Winchester Blvd, Santa Clara, CA 95050 on Saturday, November 17th at 2:00pm. Ida was an active member in the American Indian community, giving of her time and energy. The family is requesting that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in her honor to the Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley.