“My mother was the type of person who said the community comes first,” Cuero said. “She and my father would tell me, ‘This is our community and our responsibility to give it the support it needs.’ She knew that it was up to us if our community was to improve.”

Mrs. Cuero began volunteering in the tribal office in the 1980s, and she quickly became known as the woman who could help solve problems on the 325-member reservation.

“My mother knew everyone on the reservation,” Cuero said. “I used to go to her and ask who someone was, and she would tell me details about their life.”

Mrs. Cuero served as vice chairwoman under Ralph Goff. She became a trusted adviser and pushed the reservation to support development of schools for its children, as well as economic development and independence.

“She seemed to know that the better education the members received, the better chance they would have for economic success,” said Michael Connolly, a Campo council member. “She devoted her life to the tribe.”

Mrs. Cuero also was involved in the planning and development of Campo’s Golden Acorn Casino, which opened in 2001.

“It was projects like that that have really helped the development of the tribe,” Connolly said.

Mrs. Cuero was one of the last fluent Kumeyaay language speakers, Connolly said. Although she wasn’t trained as a teacher, she taught the language to anyone who wanted to learn at the D-Q University on the Sycuan reservation and at the Campo Indian Education Center.

“Very few people could still speak the Kumeyaay language, and there was a danger of it being lost,” Connolly said. “But she was willing to share her knowledge to keep that part of the culture alive.”

An all-night wake is to start at 4 p.m. today (11/30) at the Campo Tribal Hall, 36190 Church Road, Campo. Mass will be celebrated at 1 p.m. tomorrow (12/1) at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, adjacent to the Tribal Hall.

Michael Kinsman: (619) 293-1370; michael.kinsman@uniontrib.com© Copyright 2007 Union-Tribune Publishing Co. • A Copley Newspaper