Baudilia Astacio

Born on April 25, 1932, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to the late Merquiadez Celimen and Jóse González, Baudi was the third of five children and the only daughter among her siblings. She grew up with a strong sense of family and faith, praying every morning and night.

Baudi pursued her education at the University of Puerto Rico, where she earned an Associate’s degree in Primary Education. She went on to dedicate 25 years of her life to teaching first grade—where she touched the lives of countless students with her warmth, patience, and love for learning.

After eleven years of courtship, Baudi married Jorge Astacio Figueroa. As a soldier in the Army, Jorge's career brought the couple to many new places across the United States and Europe. Along the way, they welcomed four children—Janette, Maria, Ilia, and Jorge Eduardo—making a home wherever life took them.

Following Jorge’s service in Vietnam and Korea, he retired and joined the U.S. Postal Service. The family eventually returned to Puerto Rico, where Baudi and Jorge continued to raise their children with love and devotion. In 1993, after several of their children relocated to Colorado, Baudi and Jorge moved to Arvada to be near family. They both helped raise their grandchildren, Baudi continuing to teach and Jorge walking them to and from school. Sadly, after only six years here she was widowed when Jorge passed away in 1999 after a battle with leukemia.

Baudi found joy in the simple pleasures of life—tending to her plants, viewing birds in the garden, sewing outfits for loved ones, and caring for her grandchildren. She had a straightforward nature, a meticulous eye for cleanliness, and a playful, adventurous spirit. She had a particular fondness for anything with birds, “los pajaritos”, and always cherished having her family close. She was remarkably generous and didn’t hesitate to help her family, friends, and others. Her home was the center of activity for the family throughout the last several decades for holidays, birthdays, and get togethers; filling it with Puerto Rican food, music, laughter, and dancing.

She is survived by her children, her four beloved grandchildren—Nicole, Karla, Jorge, and Andrew—and her two great-grandchildren, Isaac and Alexander. She is reunited with her husband in Heaven. Her love, laugh, conversation, and vibrant presence will be deeply missed and fondly remembered by all who knew her.