Marisol Vidal-Ribas Brown

The twelfth of thirteen children, Marisol was born on February 11, 1932, to parents José and Emilia in Barcelona, Spain. The Vidal-Ribas family was among Barcelona's most prominent clans, but her first memories were of their displacement during the Spanish Civil War, as her father—affectionately known as Don Pepe—moved the family to a series of safe havens in Mallorca and Genoa, Italy. After the war, her parents rebuilt the family's stature in Barcelona, and from 1939-1940, Don Pepe served as the president of the Barcelona Football Club, a role that landed him on Franco's watch list.

Marisol enjoyed a rambunctious and eventful childhood with a household of siblings. She shared a special bond with a nursemaid named Tata, who took care of her while the family was exiled and whom Marisol would refer to later in life as her angel. From an early age she exercised a lifelong independent streak, whether causing mischief at her convent school, Sacred Heart, or demanding access to the same sort of formal education extended to boys. She also developed a talent for knitting, sewing, traditional Spanish and Catalan cooking, and languages.

As a young adult, Marisol worked as a surgical nurse. After a visit to the Brownsville, TX and Washington, DC ignited an interest in all things American, she took a job the protocol office of the U.S. Consulate in Barcelona. There, Marisol welcomed such luminary American visitors as Bishop Fulton Sheen (whom she accompanied aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier), James Baldwin (whom, family lore has it, she kept out of trouble), and John Wayne (whom she pretended not to recognize when he swaggered into the office demanding to meet the Consul General).

At age thirty, Marisol departed Spain for good—an unheard-of move for a single woman in Spain at the time—arriving in Washington D.C. just as the tumult of the 1960s began. There she worked as a translator, a seamstress, and a housekeeper until she was hired as a Spanish instructor by the U.S. government. (At various points in her life, Marisol spoke up to seven languages.) During one immersion class, she caught the eye of an older student, Glenn Otis Brown of Illinois. The pair immediately fell in love, were soon married, and started a family, raising sons Carlos and Glenn in Washington, D.C., Ecuador, Honduras, and, eventually, Austin, where the boys attended Eanes schools and the University of Texas at Austin.

Marisol's beloved husband passed away in 1990, and she devoted herself entirely to her sons' well-being and development. Both boys eventually left Austin for graduate school—medical school for Carlos, law school for Glenn—where both graduated with high honors. While her sons settled into successful careers in trauma surgery and Internet law, Marisol and close family friend and surrogate son John Spong continued her tradition of legendary Sunday Dinners. These gatherings included up to a dozen hungry young people, whom she referred to as her "stray dogs." For over a decade, she boarded, fed, and held court for countless numbers of Carlos' and Glenn's visiting friends and classmates.

Marisol was a devoted volunteer for the Texas State Library for the Blind, recording hundreds of books in Spanish, as well as public health clinics around Austin, where she translated for Spanish-speaking patients. In later years she enjoyed the boundless delight of her grandchildren and beloved daughter-in-law Debbie, relocating with them to Southern California. She survived surgery and chemotherapy, and eventually followed the family back to Austin, where she lived independently, in her own house off South Lamar, for the rest of her life.

Marisol kept in close contact with siblings in Barcelona, including a solo journey, at age 76, to her brother Alvaro's 80th birthday party. She was an active and devoted member of the Catholic Church, befriending many attendees of St. Mary's Cathedral and St. John Neumann's Parish. One of Marisol's passions was her collection of nativity scenes from around the world.

Marisol was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, and her siblings Ricardo, Manuel, Mercedes, Carlos, Lucía, María Josefa, Lourdes, Juan, and José Antonio.

Marisol is survived by three loving grandchildren, Trevor (12), Madison (10), and Tyler (7); her sisters Ana Sas Vidal-Ribas and María Rosa Flo Vidal-Ribas, and brother Alvaro Vidal-Ribas, of Barcelona; her daughter-in-law Deborah Sicher Brown; her sons, Dr. Carlos Vidal-Ribas Brown and Glenn Otis Brown; and hundreds of cherished relatives in Barcelona.

One of Marisol's last wishes was not to be described as a saint after her passing, though her large contingent of adorers would argue otherwise. She remained devoted to her husband, her one and only love, for the remainder of her life. Asked what the most enjoyable adventure of her colorful life had been, Marisol responded, "My marriage and the family we made."

A funeral service will be held at St. Mary's Cathedral in downtown Austin on Saturday, January 22nd, at 10 am. Interment will follow at Austin Memorial Park.

Funeral inquiries can be made to Weed Corley Fish, 2620 South Congress Ave., Austin, TX 78704, 512-442-1446, [email protected].

In lieu of flowers, please send donations in the name of Marisol Vidal-Ribas Brown to The American Cancer Society, 2433 Ridgepoint Dr # A, Austin, TX 78754-5226, (512) 919-1800, or Hospice Austin, 4107 Spicewood Springs Road, Suite 100, Austin, Texas 78759.