Maria Rosa McCabe

Dr. Maria Rosa Plius McCabe died peacefully on March 12, 2025 in her Ann Arbor, Michigan residence in the presence of family. Maria Rosa was a beloved mother, grandmother, sister, friend, teacher, as well as a kindhearted person who lived a life of service. She was born to Esteban Plius and Elisa Gotos in 1936 in Barcelona, Spain shortly before the Spanish Civil War. Her father fought in the Spanish Civil War and after enduring tremendous wartime hardships, the family relocated to Puerto Rico, the homeland of his wife, Elisa Gotos. Maria Rosa is survived by her daughter Elisa (McCabe) Hoekwater, son-in-law Mark Hoekwater, and grandsons Matheu, Nicholas, and Daniel Hoekwater of Holland, Michigan; her son Sean Esteban McCabe, daughter-in-law Vita McCabe, granddaughter Rory Sullivan, and grandson Jack McCabe of Ann Arbor, Michigan; and her sisters Gloria Plius Perez of Barcelona, Spain and Josefina Plius Mocali of Florence, Italy.

Maria Rosa raised her two children as a single parent, serving as a remarkable role model and affectionately referring to her family as the “Three Musketeers.” She moved from Puerto Rico where her children started school to the US mainland in pursuit of safety and stability. The Peace Neighborhood Center was pivotal in connecting Maria Rosa to the Ann Arbor community as a new family. She frequently worked multiple jobs, one of which was at the Washtenaw Alano Club on Fourth Avenue in downtown Ann Arbor in the mid-1970’s. Later, Maria Rosa was featured in the 50th anniversary video of the Washtenaw Alano Club for the key role she played in its early days.

Motivated to be a role model for her children, other single parents, and the Hispanic community, Maria Rosa took classes at Washtenaw Community College to improve her English and earned her GED. Inspired by this success, she went on to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from Eastern Michigan University, and later a PhD from the University of Michigan. Maria Rosa was a gifted teacher who built one of the State’s most successful high school Spanish AP programs at Ann Arbor Pioneer High School. She loved running into former students, happily receiving their hugs and relishing in their successes. Maria Rosa was a woman of faith, expressed through a lifetime of community service. Maria Rosa McCabe was and will be an inspiration to many, including the Hispanic and Ann Arbor communities where she volunteered.

Maria Rosa will be remembered as a woman with a strong intellect, a ready smile, and a generous heart. A celebration of life will be held at the Washtenaw Alano Club at a later date to “have fun” in the words of Maria Rosa herself. Everyone is welcome. Please come and join the celebration and be sure to bring your favorite memories and stories. Please click "Get Reminder" on her obituary page at www.Muehligannarbor.com to receive a notification when services are updated.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the following:

DASH Center: https://giving.umich.edu/basket/fund/336164

HopeHQ: https://hope-hq.com/

Peace Neighborhood Center: https://peaceneighborhoodcenter.org/donate/

St. Mary’s Student Parish: https://michigancatholics.org/

Washtenaw Alano Club: https://washtenawalano.club/giving/