Estela Margarita Navarrete

Estela Margarita Navarrete died at 91 on New Year’s Eve, after a brief physical illness, ready to reunite with her beloved Pablo and dance the night away as fireworks greeted 2022. She was a resident of Green Hills Memory Care unit in Ames, Iowa for the last 17 months, where her vibrant spirit and eagerness to engage endeared her to staff and residents alike. Even as her memory faded, her wit and determination to take matters into her own hands were evident up to her final decline.

Estela Margarita was born in Camaguey, Cuba on the 22nd of February in 1930, the youngest of 3 born to Estela Barreras and Antonio Martinez. The family moved to Santiago de Cuba when Antonio took over the Ford dealership where she, and her siblings, Beba (Evangelina Mijares) and Roberto learned work skills that would sustain them as adults.

She fell in love with Pablo in Santiago, married him in 1951, and followed him through multiple moves within Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Spain, until they settled in Cranford, NJ where they lived for over 30 years. She worked as a bookkeeper for Schering-Plough until her retirement. In 2000, they relocated to Miami Beach to avoid snowy winters and be closer to her siblings. Sadly, Pablo passed 7 months later, not long after their 50th anniversary. She formed deep connections throughout her life and in her Miami years, particularly with her beloved niece, Estela Mijares and family.

Always resilient and determined to ‘make lemonade’ whenever life gave her ‘lemons’, Estela Margarita faced challenges with grace, perseverance, and humor. By 2015, she had to admit her memory was failing and made the move to Ames, Iowa to be closer to her family. Friends and family recall her spunk and sassiness, her ever readiness to enjoy adventure, question rules and find a better way to do things.

Generous in spirit and deed, she was an active member of St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Cranford and St. Patrick’s in Miami Beach where she served as a lay minister, volunteered at the food pantry, and a shelter for homeless and pregnant young women; supported many humanitarian causes and made lasting connections with the young people she hosted in her home to attend school or seek medical care.

Estela Margarita is survived by her children: Margarita (George) Marnik, Pablo Antonio (Amparo) Navarrete, Teresita Arritt; grandchildren, Anna Sawyer, Margarita Hutchinson, Isaac Marnik, Spencer Arritt, Kevin Arritt, and their partners; great-grandchildren, Margarita Nadeau & Owen Marnik; nieces, nephews, extended family and lifelong friends (both young and old). She was preceded by her parents, siblings, and son-in-law, Raymond Arritt.

Her life will be celebrated in Maine when family can gather safely. Her ashes will join those of her beloved Pablo at Brookside Cemetery in Somesville, where his remains have been interred since his sudden death in 2001. In her honor, her family asks that you consider doing random acts of kindness, being generous with your smile, donating to Raphael’s Life House (Covenant House) in Elizabeth, NJ, or a favorite charity that provides food and medicine to children, refugees, veterans, or anyone in need.