Maria Elena Cantu

Maria Elena Cantu, age 91, passed away on Thursday, July 23, 2026, in San Antonio, Texas. She was born on August 28, 1934, in San Marcos, Texas, to parents, Jose and Guadalupe Rodriguez Gaytan. After graduating from San Marcos High School, a proud Rattler, she attended Southwest Texas State University. Once receiving her degree in secondary education, she spent her career teaching math at several middle and high schools in San Antonio. Teaching was not only a job or career for Mrs. Cantu, but it was her passion. She genuinely cared for every child she encountered during her 30+ years of educating. She only retired when her first grandchild was on the way. This would free her up to devote all of her time to the new baby. Educator had always been her number one role but from then on Grandmother took its place. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Oscar L. Cantu; her brother, Edward Ray Gaytan; and her son, Oscar Cantu, Jr. Maria is survived by her daughter, Elizabeth Cantu; her granddaughters, Isabella Rose Cantu, Analisa Elena Cantu, and Gabriella Catherine Cantu; and her cousins, Maria Molina, Rose Johnson, and Joe Villareal.