Mercedes Beatriz Cevallos

As a young child, Mercedes, affectionately known as “Betty”, was sent to live with her Aunt Elena in Guayaquil, Ecuador. It was there she met the love of her life and future husband, Vicente Ramon Cevallos. There, they began their family with the birth of their son, Ramon in 1963. Eleven months later Mercedes gave birth to twin daughters, Delia and Doris. Soon thereafter, Vicente and Mercedes took the family to Farallon, Panama to meet her father-in-law. In a turn of events, Vicente had to travel to NY for work leaving Mercedes who was pregnant and the young children behind. Sadly, the fourth child Karina, passed away before the age of three.

Mercedes and her three children moved to NYC in 1968 to be with her husband and raise her family in the Bronx. After raising their children into adulthood in New York, Vicente and Mercedes moved to Panama in 2007 for their retirement. They lived together in Penonome, Panama until the untimely passing of her beloved Vicente in June, 2022 after more than 60 years of marriage. With the assistance of her daughter, Delia, Mercedes returned to the United States in 2023 and settled in Georgia, with her son Ramon and his wife Laurie. She lived there until her death on February 23, 2026.

Mercedes was generous, kind, lovely and a one of a kind beautiful woman. She greeted all with a warmth that truly came from her heart. Never was there a person who left her household without a full belly for Mercedes loved feeding all and was an exceptional cook. She was skilled at sewing and gardening—she even sang to her plants. Mercedes loved dancing to Latin music, and had a fondness for Mexican rancheras. She also enjoyed country music, with Johnny Cash as a favorite.

A loving mother, wife, grandmother, friend, and homemaker extraordinaire, Mercedes is survived by her three children, Ramon, Delia and Doris; daughter in law, Laurie Masterson; sisters-in-law, Raquel and Carmen; brother-in-law, Sal; grandchildren, Jessica, Louis, Robert, and Nina; and her siblings, Alberto, Julio, Fabiola, Teresa, and Beatriz.

In lieu of flowers, feel free to give a contribution to the Georgia Botanical Gardens. It was a place where she loved to go and be surrounded by nature’s beauty.