Obituary of Vida Ocaña

Vida Marcet Ocaña, 71, died Dec. 7 after a valiant but losing battle with ovarian cancer. Hers was a peaceful departure surrounded by family whose grief is tempered by wonderful memories of how she lived up to her name – Vida means life. She lived hers to the fullest.

She was born Feb. 11, 1949 in Mexico City to the late Vicente Marcet Vidal and the late Carmen Alba Ocaña Sanchez, both of whom were refugees from the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s. She was one of five children in that family. The eldest was Violeta, followed by Armonia, Helenio, Vida and Germinal.

To hear her tell it, growing up in Mexico City in the 1950s and early ‘60s was idyllic. She never tired of telling stories about the mischief she and her brothers would get into and the passions she developed for art, music, culture and education.

Vida earned bachelors and masters degrees from National Autonomous University of Morelos and then embarked on a career in elementary education. She loved teaching kindergartners and her students returned that love. Years later, a coterie of her ex-students who had gone on to become doctors, teachers, artists, actors among other careers would reminisce about how Vida had helped guide their lives. Later, she worked for Mexico’s federal education agency where her duties included enforcing standards. The assignment required travel throughout the republic and into rural villages that were barely on a map. She recalled the lessons she learned from the villagers who never balked at sharing what little they had.

Vida was a warm, affectionate presence in the lives of her friends in Mexico City and equally so to the to the new friends she made when she came to live in the United States. In 2008, she married Arnold Garcia Jr., then the editorial page editor of the Austin American-Statesman. It was almost love at first sight, but the decision to leave behind family and friends to come live in Texas was not easy. She quickly came to treasure Texas and never failed to comment on how she loved to see a Lone Star flag flapping in the Texas breeze. She loved country and Tejano music, chicken fried steak, and even Tex-Mex cuisine. She was avid donor to, and participant in, the Celebrate Texas events surrounding March 2.

Vida’s happy marriage was punctuated by fun filled vacations to Europe, Florida, Hawaii, Colorado, Wyoming and the Dakotas among other destinations.

Vida was deeply devoted to her adopted family. Her step-children and their children were stars in her eyes and in her heart. Those eyes lit up the first time she heard one of the nine grandchildren refer to her as “grandma”. Like Tex-Mex food, the title took some getting used to, but in no time she gave it a huge bear hug. 

Asked what his Grandma Vida meant to him, Alejandro A. Garcia, 11, wrote: “Vida was a heartwarming type of person. Always there to give you the biggest squeezes packed with love, always there to cry for others. Always there to give you a great kiss.” 

That perspective is shared by people who knew Vida across a spectrum of generations. Her light may have dimmed but will never be extinguished.

Her sister Violeta Marcet de Halffter of Coatepec, Veracruz, Mexico, her brother, Helenio Marcet of Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico and her sister-in-law Cynthia Ann Cano of Corpus Christi preceded her death.

A celebration of Vida’s life will be held once it is safe to gather in large groups. Meanwhile, you can honor Vida by contributing to cancer research or to the Arnulfo and Bertha C. Garcia Scholarship Fund at Angelo State University.

 Surviving Vida are her husband; sister Armonia Marcet de Alejo and her husband Francisco Javier Alejo Lòpez, of Mexico City; brother, Germinal Marcet Ocaña and his wife Gabriela Pastor de Marcet of Querétero, Mexico; mother-in-law, Bertha C. Garcia of San Angelo, sister-in-law Rebecca Torres and her husband Alfonso Torres of San Angelo; brothers-in-law Manuel Cano of Corpus Christi and Gonzalo Halffter Salas of Coautepec; two nieces who were like daughters to her, Mireya Alejo Marcet of Nevada, Calif. And Jimena Alejo Marcet of Mexico City; Step-children Jennifer G. Jetton, M.D. and her husband Andrew Jetton of Coralville, IA.; and CPT Teodoro C. Garcia and wife CPT Rachel Garcia, of Fort Leavenworth, Kan.; grandchildren, Emily, Matthew and Charles Jetton of Coralville, IA; Alejandro A. Garcia of Madison, Wis., Emma and Ella Garcia of Fort Leavenworth, Kan.; Bladen Kearns of Wassau, Wis.; Mekenzie Bryan and Aiden Wright, both of Corsett, Ark; other nieces Laura Benitez Geisler and Erika Geisler both of Dallas; Monteserrat Marcet Pastor of Querétero; Nuri Marcet Torres of Morelia; nephews Cristobal Marcet Torres of Morelia, Rodrigo Marcet Torres of Gerona, Spain and his wife, Ana Cabrer de Marcet; Antonio Marcet Pastor of Querétaro; Rui Halffter and his wife Regina Mijares de Halffter of Mexico City; Rudy Halffter and his wife Ruth Hinrichs de Halffter of Guaymas Sonora, Mexico; Javier Ares de Parga and Antonio Ares de Parga, both of Mexico City; Adam Torres and his husband Michael Schreir of Denver, Colo and Andrew Torres of San Angelo. Other survivors are a large extended family and friends in Mexico who love her very much; members of the Doc Daneeka Literary League and Art Appreciation Society and the golfers.