Maria Doxey

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Maria Rosario Romero Doxey on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, at 5:33 PM. She was accompanied in her last hours by her husband, Michel E. Doxey, and her daughters. Rosario is remembered as a beautiful, funny, happy, and loving mother, aunt, sister, friend, and wife.

Rosario was born on October 12, 1949, to Juana Ayala de Romero and Ruben Romero Rosas in San Miguel, El Salvador. After graduating from Colegio Abraham Lincoln in 1968, she attended Universidad de San Salvador, where she took classes in psychology and architecture. Her love of classical music eventually led her to the Conservatorio Nacional de Música in San Salvador, where she pursued her interests further. She played the piano, violin, and classical guitar.

In 1970, Rosario met Elias Hernández Luna; they married and had three daughters. In 1980, Elias died in a car accident, and with the outbreak of civil war in the country, Rosario and her children moved to Los Angeles one year later to join her mother and siblings.

Between 1981 and 1984, Rosario worked in the import and export of seafood. In 1987, she returned to Los Angeles and began working in retail before making her mark as a wholesale jeweler. Although she hadn’t envisioned a career in jewelry, she excelled at selling—skills she had honed early in her childhood while helping her mother sell tortillas, homemade wigs, and seamstress services. At her core, Rosario was an artist; she expressed her creativity in jewelry design, creating necklaces, pendants, and wedding rings.

In 1989, Rosario met Michael E. Doxey, her second husband, with whom she shared 30 wonderful years. As Michael recalls, they met at the 94th Aero Squadron, a restaurant with a downstairs club. His brother, Nick, invited Michael to join him at a friend’s birthday party—Nick never showed up, and Mike found himself dancing with the birthday girl’s friend, Rosario. From that day on, they regularly met to go dancing, finding ways to communicate even though Rosario didn’t speak English. They married in 1993.

Rosario retired in 2005 and dedicated herself to caring for her grandchildren. She also enjoyed crocheting, knitting, and making fairy houses from recycled materials and papier-mâché. She loved being crafty and often gifted her creations to loved ones and anyone who showed interest or kindness. Rosario was also a fabulous cook, known for her traditional Salvadoran dishes and her famous skinny pancakes, which she made for her loved ones on their birthdays and holidays.

Rosario is survived by her daughters, Claudia J. Hernández Romero, Zoila Heidy Aimee Hernández, and Ligia Raquel Hernández, as well as her grandchildren Iliana A. Mitchell, Benicio D. Algarín, and Kendall Kirkhuff, and her husband, Michael E. Doxey.

A service to celebrate Rosario’s life will be held at Forest Lawn Covina Hills Cemetery on Saturday, November 16, 2024, at 2:30 PM. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to a memorial fund to help cover final expenses. A Repass will be held at the Doxey & Hernandez Romero home following the funeral.