Beatriz Duarte

My mother is known in the U.S. as Beatriz Duarte and in Colombia as Beatriz Amezquita Plata de Duarte. She gave her first cry on Saturday, July 24, 1920 in Bogota, Colombia. She was born to a devoted Catholic, but struggling, middle class family. At a young age, she lost her father, who died after battling pneumonia, which he caught while helping a neighbor in need. My grandfather left behind his wife and nine (9) children. As a family united in God, each of the nine children worked hard and sacrificed to keep the family afloat, allowing my grandmother to remain the special mother and strong homemaker they needed. With my oldest uncle at the head, each of the nine children helped to keep the family together and strong. My mother graduated as a teacher and immediately joined the workforce to help her three younger siblings finish school, including my aunt who graduated from law school. The value of caring was instilled in my mother and continues to be passed down to our family’s younger generations.

On Saturday, March 24, 1945, my mother took the sacrament of marriage and started a family with my father, Alberto Duarte French. For sixteen (16) years, she was very happy as a homemaker. After having nine (9) children, the shadow of hardship covered the family, forcing my mother to go back to the workforce and become the main breadwinner. Always supporting my father until his passing, and never giving up on the family, she would wake up every day at 4 AM and go to bed at 11 PM in order to work and keep the house running. This incredible sacrifice and gift to us, her beloved family, continued with some ups and downs until all nine of us completed our education and were able to, or decided to, live on our own. Similar to my mother’s own family, my siblings and I also helped out to keep the family together and united.

My mother was twice a legal alien of this wonderful country that most of us call home. She finally became a proud U.S. Citizen in 2000. Her journey led her to settle and resettle in both the U.S. and in Colombia on multiple occasions. While in the U.S., she lived in San Francisco, CA; Miami, FL; Arlington, VA; and Boca Raton, FL. During her early years in the U.S., she worked at the Colombian Consulate as the head of Consulate. During the periods that she went back to Colombia, she rejoined the teaching workforce as the principal of an all-girls school. After continued education efforts, dedication and hard work, she finished her teaching career as a school principal. During her second time in the U.S., she gratefully accepted God’s will to have her work in an elderly home until she fully retired.

My mother was a very active member of the Catholic Church to which she belonged. She helped when she was able to and participated in as many events as possible. Giving and helping others was always in her heart. She was always there for us. Her joy for the Lord and her unrelenting faith were an inspiration to many. We will miss her detailed stories of her childhood, her recollection of her glory days as a basketball star in Colombia, her vibrant and welcoming spirit and her commitment to be a loyal witness to God.

On Saturday, January 16, 2016, she left us to join the Lord. She left behind nine (9) children, twenty (21) grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren.