Marta A. Covache

Marta Angelica Covache was born December 14, 1943, and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina by Dr. Eduardo and Mrs. Leonor Covache. As a young girl, Marta’s parents and older sister, Zulma, called her Chispa (chees-pah), which means “spark” in Spanish. This childhood nickname did more than reflect Marta’s personality, curiosity, and energy; it encapsulated the spirit, adventure, and perseverance that allowed her to endure and overcome a lifetime of remarkable and fascinating twists, turns, surprises, and adventures.

Marta’s extraordinary journey began in the pursuit of her dream of becoming a doctor and her decision to go to medical school, which changed her life in unimaginable ways. The person who enrolled at the University of Buenos Aires lived with her parents and came home every day after school. The person who graduated in 1971 had a husband, two children (one newly born), a medical degree, and plans to leave everything and everyone she knew.

In November 1971, Marta and her two very young children moved to Middletown, Connecticut where her husband, Luis Salcedo, had recently commenced his psychiatric residency at Yale University. The intensity of Luis’s studies required Marta to stay at home to care for the family. Despite having achieved her dream of becoming a doctor, Marta chose a path that required her to face the challenges of being a new wife, a new mother, a new immigrant, a new neighbor, and a new English student all at once and almost entirely on her own. She did it.

When the family moved to Plantation, Florida in 1976, Marta resumed her professional career. She completed her psychiatric residency at the University of Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital and began practicing psychiatric medicine. Marta spent the next 25 years developing her medical practice and raising her two children. She beamed with pride and joy seeing her daughter receive a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida and Doctor of Psychology from Baylor University and watching her son receive his Bachelor’s and Law degrees from the University of Florida.

When her children left for college, Marta entered a new chapter of life—newly divorced and living alone for the first time. After years of developing a successful medical practice that earned the respect of her peers and the appreciation of her patients, Marta’s waning professional ambitions were replaced by a desire to help others. She began devoting more of her time providing crucial mental health services at a not-for-profit AIDS clinic for low-income and homeless residents of Broward County. It was the most rewarding work she had ever done.

Marta’s joy at work was matched only by her passion for traveling. She became an accomplished world traveler with a passport full of enviable stamps—India, China,

Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Senegal, Somalia, Moscow, to name a few. She has seen the Great Wall and the Taj Mahal. She spent the Millenium on Mount Everest in Nepal and has been on the Siberian Express. She loved meeting the locals and was often deeply moved by their circumstances. She truly made the world her classroom and was happy to share the lessons she learned.

In the last chapter of her life, Marta found great joy in the company of friends —playing Bingo, participating in the Latin Women’s Club, attending shows, art classes, and dancing— while remaining deeply devoted to her family, particularly her two grandchildren. She was immensely grateful for the opportunity to be a part of their lives - watching them grow, celebrating each milestone, attending all their events, cheering them on, celebrating all of their many accomplishments, and sharing in the small, ordinary moments. She brought to all this an extraordinary sense of humor and fun, leaving us all with memories full of laughter, and earning her forever place as “Best Abuela.”

Marta passed away peacefully with her children at her side on Sunday, January 25, 2026. She is survived by her daughter, Veronica Plancarte (Brian); her son, Martin Salcedo (Susan Pare’); her grandchildren, Madelyn and Nathan; her sister, Zulma Covache; and her beloved cat, Phoebe.