Maurico Alejandro Salazar Patino

October 11, 1961 - June 17, 2021

Mauricio Alejandro Salazar Patino, age 59, a missionary based in Belgium passed away Thursday, June 17, 2021 at the VCU Medical Center, Richmond, Virginia.

Born October 11. 1961 in Mexico, he was the son of David Vicente Salazar Mares and the late Selva Maria Patino Sokolozki. In addition to his mother, he was also preceded in death by two brothers, David Armando Salazar Patino and Manuel Vicente Salazar Patino.

He was an ordained minister with the IPHC World Missions Ministries. Mauricio, known as Pastor Mau by most, first came to know Jesus as Lord and Savior in Mexico City November 14th, 1984 at the age of 23. He immersed himself in daily bible studies and soon became a youth leader and worship leader. In 1988 he met Lulu at their local church. They both received a calling to missions through the visits of Operation Mobilization (OM) to his home church. He was asked to serve as an interpreter for visiting missionaries. Soon afterward he got involved with OM in national mission trips within Mexico. In 1989, Mauricio first ministered in Europe via the Love Europe campaign. He joined Centro de Alabanza IPHC and in October of 1990 married Lulu. The same year he became the Missions Director for the IPHC in Mexico, and started the Operation Samaria program among many other outreaches. Together with Lulu, Mauricio took teams to the indigenous tribes of Mexico. In 1993 they had their first child, Betsy. Soon after he went to study in London England at CICM and received a diploma in international missions, after which he led teams from Mexico throughout Europe. Their second child, Obed, was born in 1995. They began making plans to relocate to Europe as full-time missionaries and in 1999 they moved to Brussels, Belgium. The Salazar's began working with Coffee House ministries and established two coffee shops and recorded 40,000 visits over a four-year period. During this period and through the Coffee House outreach they founded and pastored 3 churches, a Filipino church, a Russian speaking church, and a Farsi speaking church all the while assisting in leadership of an international church. In 2002 they started the Logos Bible School, training leaders from various nationalities. Many people came to Christ and several churches were planted out of this ministry, 15 of which remain. They made the IPHC an officially registered organization with the Belgian government in 2007. Mauricio was especially proud of the fact that both of his children were very active in every aspect of their ministry all these years. In 2016 they served in evangelism and church planting both in Paris and in the South of France. In the last 9 months Mauricio and Lulu returned to Belgium where they were based in Antwerp, serving in pastoral ministry, discipling new believers, teaching Bible School classes and reaching out to people trapped in the sex trade industry. Until this sudden fatal illness, Mauricio was actively preparing to return to the mission field. Now, the work of evangelism, leadership training and church-planting will continue through Mauricio’s disciples and the mission work of Lulu.

“…though he died he still speaks.” (Hebrews 11:4b)

He is survived by

His wife- Maria de Lourdes Romero Lemus- Mexico City, Mexico

Children-

Betsabe Abigail Salazar Hope and husband, Adam Blake Hope- Oklahoma City, OK

Obed Eli Salazar Romero and wife, Mariah Gene Salazar- Oklahoma City, OK

Grandson- Everett Leander Salazar

Father- David Vicente Salazar Mares - Queretaro, Mexico

Sisters-Paola Salazar Cuevas ,Mexico and Fabiola Salazar Cuevas-Mexico

Funeral service will be held Tuesday, 2:00 p.m., June 22, 2021 at the Family Worship Center, 955 Memorial Drive, Pulaski, Virginia 24301 with Rev. Harold Presley officiating. Burial will follow in the Appalachian Conference Cemetery, Dublin.

The family will receive friends Tuesday from 1:00 p.m. until service time at the church.

To sign the online guestbook, visit www.bowerfuneralhome.com

Bower Funeral Home, Pulaski is handling the arrangements for the family.