Maria Isabel Gonzalez de Ocasio, 82, passed away on Wednesday May 10, 2017. Born of the union between Petra Nuñez and Basilio Gonzalez, she was truly the child of Lilin, the aunt who became the matriarch of a family that consisted of Toño, Sixta, and Inez. Maria was the sister of Carmen, Juan Ramon, Carmen Julia, and Ana Elba all of whom were criados juntos. Maria shared life with her husband, Angel Luis Ocasio Rojas, who will carry on the legacy of her beloved garden. Maria leaves behind her daughter Marissa Ocasio and her husband David Murray, sons Eric and wife Lissette, Luis and wife Maria, and Rene.
She would have wanted to spend more time with her beloved grandchildren, Luke, Rachel, Hannah, Justin, and Michael. All of them will miss her, whatever was always cooking on the stove, and the games of Chinese checkers.
Maria was born in Gurabo, Puerto Rico and raised by extended family that knew no boundaries as to where blood relations ended and love began. Orphaned at an early age she learned about growing tobacco, roasting coffee beans, and raising animals. While there was no glamour in growing up poor she learned to sew at an early age and became an excellent costurera. She made her own wedding dress, studded with pearls and sequins, and carried it to New York City where she would be married on the Lower East Side.
Maria and Angel made the move to Connecticut in 1970 and raised bilingual kids. She studied a bit of Portuguese, got a job as a paraprofessional, and never learned how to drive. You could enumerate the number of friends she made but she was not that kind of person. You could also not count her good deeds because she did them out of the sight of others. She believed a good deed done should be a private act with no recognition. Organized religion was of no interest to her but she did believe in God. She read the Bible but wouldn't tell you what to believe. She only believed that you should be kind and generous—that, and to remember to return her change when she sent you to the store.
The Spanish saying "mi casa es tu casa" was truly at the heart of who she was. All of her children can attest to the numerous times that she fed their friends and acquaintances. Pernil at Christmastime, bacalaitos during Lent and the sometimes annual ritual of making pasteles meant you would drop whatever you were doing to make sure you were there to get some.
Maria's family is left with a legacy that speaks to the power of doing good where you are and when you can. There's not enough ink to express how much her family and friends will miss her but there might be a few pasteles in the freezer to remind them of the power of her love. Services will be held on Saturday, May 20th at Dillon-Baxter Funeral Home, 1276 Berlin Tpke, Wethersfield. Burial will follow in Cedar Hill Cemetery, Hartford. Visiting hours will be from 9:00-11:30am at the funeral home, prior to the service. Please visit www.dillonbaxter.com to share a memory with the family.