Ofelia Goicoechea Caraballo

Ofelia Caraballo (Goicoechea) of Tucker, Georgia passed away on May 26, 2025 with her family by her side. She was born on June 14, 1962 in Bayamon, Puerto Rico to the late Albio and Alicia Goicoechea.

Ofelia was an active member of Holy Cross Catholic Church in Atlanta. Ofelia lived to make the world a better place as she befriended and accepted everyone. Ofelia fully embraced life’s small beauties and approached everything she did with a contagious energy and authentic kindness. She attended Colegio Espiritu Santo in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico from kindergarten through twelfth grade where she cultivated lifelong friendships. She chose a profession that allowed her to help young children develop confidence and overcome obstacles as they worked through challenges with speech. After graduating from the University of Puerto Rico and School of Medicine with a Master’s degree in Speech and Language Pathology, Ofelia started working with children at Project Head Start and Casa Margarita in San Juan, Puerto Rico and subsequently spent 19 years working for Gwinnett County Public Schools, particularly at Meadow Creek Elementary School, before retiring in 2023. Ofelia invested countless hours of her free time helping the students and families of the school. Ofelia was more than a speech and language pathologist, she was a trusted friend, incessant cheerleader and advocate for the students and the entire community.

Ofelia is survived by her loving husband of 30 years, Ralph Caraballo. Ofelia and Ralph built a loving life and family together based on their faith and dedication to God. As empty-nesters the past few years, Ofelia and Ralph enjoyed watching countless hours of British thriller shows. They also loved taking the opportunity to travel to visit their friends and family. A favorite destination of Ofelia’s was the beaches of Florida where she enjoyed collecting seashells.

The real pride and joy of Ofelia’s life was her daughters, Luz, Isabelle, Veronica and Barbara Caraballo. When her daughters were young, Ofelia’s favorite trip to take with them was to Disney World (her love for Disney would have her later calling small children “Mickey Mouses”). Every time Ofelia spoke about her children, she had a twinkle in her eye. Every decision she made considered how it would affect her children. Ofelia was equally proud of every accomplishment the kids made, no matter how big or small. That said, there are two accomplishments that made Ofelia beam with joy: Luz’s work on a major motion picture and the determination with which Isabelle approached to earn her college degree. She also loved spending time with her grandchildren. The family will be receiving guests at Floral Hills Funeral Home between 10AM and 12PM, with a Funeral Mass at Holy Cross Catholic Church at 2pm

In addition to her husband and children, Ofelia is survived by her sister, Lucrecia Gutierrez,; nephews, Pedro (Corinne) Gutierrez, Carlos (Scott) Gutierrez; grandchildren, Eben, Mya, Sahid, Alyah and Laura; grandnieces and grandnephews; and her fur babies, Lucy and Stella.

Friends and family of Ofelia are invited to gather in her memory on Saturday, June 7, 2025 at Floral Hills Funeral Home & Cremation, 3150 Lawrenceville Highway, Tucker, GA from 10am-Noon. The funeral mass follow at 2pm at Holy Cross Catholic Church at 3773 Chamblee Tucker Road, Atlanta, Georgia.

Donations in memory of Ofelia can be made to St.Jude’s Hospital and the American Cancer Society of Atlanta.