Elida Salas Cadena

Viewing and visitation for Mrs. Elida Salas Cadena, 89 of Mt. Gilead, North Carolina will begin Thursday, May 7, 2026, 1:00 p.m. -8:00 p.m. with a rosary beginning at 6:00 pm the same evening by Mr. Dick McCann. Funeral Mass will begin 10:00 a.m., Friday, May 8, 2026, at St. Elizabeth’s Catholic Church with Father John Restrepo officiating. Burial will follow at the City of Lubbock Cemetery under the direction of Calvillo Funeral Home & Chapel.

“Today, her faith became sight”

Elida departed this earth peacefully with her son by her side on Sunday morning the 26th of April 2026 at their home in Mount Gilead, NC. Her departure has left a void and heaviness in the family and all whom she met. We take comfort in knowing that she is now resting peacefully in the presence of our Lord. A devoted servant of Christ, her life was a powerful testimony of faith and grace.

Elida Cadena was born in Odem, Texas on July 14th, 1936, to Manuel and Margarita (Tovar) Salas

She left her hometown (1958) for Brownfield, TX and Lamesa, TX sacrificing her education to work in the fields to help support the family. She moved to Lubbock, TX (1963) and was employed with the Lubbock City Laundry until she met her husband Jose Nicolas Cadena and were married at St. Elizabeth’s Catholic Church on 29 April 1967. From this union of love, they added two sons to the Cadena and Salas lineage.

After marriage she became a full-time homemaker, steady arm and backbone of the family with her main focus in raising her two sons Joe Ray and Manuel. Instilling in them love, compassion and spiritual values. She enjoyed her daily ritual of waking up early to drink her beloved Folgers coffee, praying the rosary, gardening, cooking wonderful meals for her family, being outdoors to feed the birds and watching the Andy Griffith Show. After the passing of her son Joe Ray in 2022 and her husband of 57 years in 2024 she moved with her son Manuel and daughter-in-law Cynthia to Mt. Gilead, NC. Within the last 2 years she traveled to multiple sites including the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC, the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle in San Juan, TX, Andy Griffith’s hometown of Mt. Airy, NC and numerous family vacations and holidays to the mountains and beaches of North Carolina. She looked forward to her birthday celebrations with family and friends; she also enjoyed the holidays, especially Halloween where she enjoyed giving the children treats and Christmas with her joy always coming from giving instead of receiving.

Elida was very strong and diligent in her Catholic faith. She attended St. Elizabeth Catholic Church as a devout parishioner and was a member of the Guadalupanas Society Group. She was very constant in her faith and prayers for others, upon which she never wavered. Elida’s generosity and giving heart along with her selflessness and kindness towards others was recognized with a Certificate of Appreciation as a dedicated, faithful and caring Eternal World Television Network (EWTN) Family Member, which she was very proud to be a part of.

She is survived by her son, Manuel Cadena (Cynthia), Mount Gilead, NC; her siblings, loving sisters Margarita Garcia (Emilio), Grand Prairie, TX, Josefina Contreras (Salvador), Killeen, TX; Roberto Salas (Delores) Lewisville, TX; sister-in-law Teresita Cadena (Jose Garza), Weslaco, TX and brother-in-law Roberto Cadena, Mercedes, TX, grandchildren Janis L. McCallum-Jackson, Houston, TX; Ja’Nise A. Miles (Primo), Concord, NC; Edward L. McCallum (Karen), Matthews, NC; RicQuella J. McCallum, Mount Gilead, NC and Haylee S. Butler (Juan), Asheboro, NC. She is also survived by 27 great-grandchildren, 13 great-great-grandchildren and a host of nieces and nephews in North Carolina, Texas and Oklahoma.

She was predeceased by her sons - infant son at birth; Jose Reyes Cadena, husband of 57 years, Jose Nicolas Cadena and her parents Manuel and Margarita (Tovar) Salas, sisters Feliciana Martinez and Manuela Albiter, brothers Mike Salas and George Salas and brother-in-law Jorge Cadena and loving in-laws, Reyes and Marianita (Alaniz) Cadena.