Marcela A. Enriquez

On July 8, 1962, she left Cuba with her sister, Tania. There was a clandestine program, sponsored by Catholic Charities, called Operation Pedro Pan, which was formed to move children out of Cuba to the U.S. during the Cuban Revolution in the 1950s. They went by plane to Spokane, WA, where they were transferred to St. John’s Academy, a boarding school in Colfax, WA. They remained there for four years until they were reunited with their mother Mirtila. All were then relocated to establish residency in New Jersey where they had some friends.

At some point, Marcela went to visit a former friend in Chicago from St. John’s. Upon returning home, she convinced her mother to relocate the family to Chicago. Once there, Marcela took a job at World Book Encyclopedia, and also began going to cosmetology school. While living in Chicago, Marcela attended the wedding of another former friend from St. John’s, and it was there that she met her husband, Jorge, a friend of the bridegroom.

Marcela and Jorge married January 8, 1972, and had their first two sons, Omar and Nestor, after which they moved to Houston for a better climate experience, and better educational/economic opportunities for their family. In Houston, Marcela and Jorge had their third son, Karl, and she took a job working as a beautician in the Heights area. She later took her passion for working with families, and transitioned into a position at Steven’s Elementary School as a parent-teacher coordinator.

At Steven’s, Marcela leveraged her bilingual capabilities to serve as a liaison between the English speaking teachers, Hispanic parents, and their children, with special intent of developing the children’s English language skills to expand their opportunities for advancement. In addition to her full-time job at the school, she began volunteering as a CCE kindergarten teacher at her church, St. Ambrose, until 2019.

Marcela loved maintaining relationships with former faculty and students, typically via Facebook. One of her greatest joys was hearing from her former students of their accomplishments and successes as they pursued higher education, personal interests, and/or early career opportunities. Often, she was invited to attend weddings, artistic performances, and the like by students she had supported many years prior.

In 2022, Marcela and Jorge celebrated their 50th anniversary with family and friends in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, organized by Jorge’s sister, Claudia, who Marcela regarded as her own sister. The event marked a huge accomplishment for both their family and Marcela, who courageously and enthusiastically insisted on attending despite her health starting to decline at the time due to her battle with cancer.

A few of Marcela’s greatest loves were her faith, family, granddaughters and friends (including lifelong friendships made at St. John’s Academy and fostered through frequent reunions). She loved cooking and hosted weekly family breakfast every Sunday morning. She also loved to travel, and visited various countries including Italy, Spain, France, Peru, Portugal, and a very special trip to return to Cuba with her mother to visit family). Some of her greatest attributes were her contagious positive energy, and her generous/unconditional love for others. She valued her relationships, held her family and friends in high regard, and taught her children, students and anyone she met the value of loving.

Marcela is survived by her husband Jorge Enriquez, sister Tania Betancourt, sons Omar, Nestor and Karl Enriquez, nephew Jose Betancourt, granddaughters Lucia and Francesca Enriquez and daughters-in-law(s) Somphors and Britney Enriquez.

A visitation for Marcela will be held Thursday, April 25, 2024 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Earthman Resthaven, 13102 North Fwy, Houston, TX 77060. A memorial service will occur Friday, April 26, 2024 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM at St Ambrose Church, 4213 Mangum Rd, Houston, TX 77092. A graveside service will occur Friday, April 26, 2024 from 3:00 PM to 3:30 PM at Earthman Resthaven Funeral Home and Cemetery, 13102 North Fwy, Houston, TX 77060.