Esther Mesquida

Esther Marina Mesquida, a retired educator and beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, died peacefully in Denver on Nov. 23 following a long illness. She was 92.

Born on Aug. 17, 1930 in Matanzas, Cuba, Esther was the daughter of Arsenio Menes Fernandez, a butcher and landlord and Julieta Menes Gutierrez, a professional seamstress. Esther’s brother, Orlando Menes, was 10 months her junior.

Esther distinguished herself early in life as being both studious and fun-loving. Her enjoyment of cooking and creative projects led her to study home economics. She met Segundo Nicolas Garcia at the age of 15. They had a long courtship, marrying on Aug.19,1951, two days after her 21st birthday and upon completion of her home economics degree, on her father’s orders. In 1953, the couple welcomed daughter Maria de Lourdes Garcia. Esther and Segundo were accomplished dancers and Saturday night dates revolved around dancing to Cuban music.

In 1959, as Fidel Castro overthrew the Batista regime, Esther was hopeful that the revolution would bring a new day to her embattled country. Two years later, after the Bay of Pigs disaster, Esther and Segundo made the decision to leave their beloved homeland for the United States. They sent their only child, alone, through Operacion Pedro Pan, to meet family in Miami. Maria was just 8 years old.

Reunited in Miami five months later, the family was invited by the Westminster Methodist Church to start new lives in Colorado. The church and the Rev. Walter Boigegrain and his wife Pat, adopted them like family. Pat made sure that Esther learned English, got her teaching certificate and learned to drive. In return, the Sunday potluck attendees got an education in Cuban cooking, enjoying roasted pork, rice, black beans and natilla. Pat and Esther’s friendship was lifelong.

Esther spent the next 29 years as a kindergarten teacher in the Westminster Public Schools. She chose kindergarten not only because of her love of kids, but because she said the 5-year-olds did not make fun of her strong accent.

In 1974, Segundo suffered a fatal heart attack. Just 43 years old, Esther forged ahead with steely determination.

A year later, Esther was invited to a dinner party by some well-intentioned friends who wanted her to meet a single Spaniard, Anthony Mesquida. The blind date worked and on Nov. 26, 1975 the couple married. Esther became mom to Anthony’s daughter, Mary Grace, who was 10, and they formed a wonderful bond. Esther told the world that she had two daughters. Esther, Tony and Mary continued living in Westminster. Tony became a small business owner, and they enjoyed entertaining, traveling, and keeping up with old friends while making new ones.

In 2001, the call of the ocean was strong and the couple retired to Cape Coral, Fla. They enjoyed making new friends and didn’t miss shoveling snow. Esther lived there until early 2012, returning to Colorado after Tony’s death.

Esther reconnected with old friends and made new ones at her home in Denver. She loved being with her family, meeting friends for lunch, browsing in shops, attending parties and celebrating holidays. She had a fondness for Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, and enjoyed the occasional mojito or margarita.

Esther was preceded in death by her parents, her brother, her two husbands and one nephew. She is survived by daughters Maria Garcia Berry (Chuck) and Mary DeAgazio (Bill); grandchildren Anne Berry (Paul Schrage), Martha Berry (Gregg Murray), James Berry, Dylan DeAgazio and Enzo DeAgazio; and three great- grandchildren, Clare and Jack Schrage, and Alex Olsen Berry.

A funeral mass and celebration of life will be held Saturday, Dec. 10 at 11 a.m. at Christ the King Catholic Church, 830 Elm St., Denver.

Esther was committed to pre-primary and kindergarten education and was grateful Westminster Public Schools offered her the opportunity to start a new life in a new country. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to support a scholarship fund in her name. Send contributions to Westminster Public Schools Foundation, 7002 Raleigh St, Westminster, CO 80030 or online at fundwps.org/donate .

Please share memories of Esther and condolences with her family by signing the Tribute Wall above.