Martha Angeles Noboa

Martha de Los Angeles Noboa was born in Quito, Ecuador, in 1948. In this era, it was a playground of outdoor freedom. Martha and her sister Lucha spent their days outside, running, biking and rollerskating the burgeoning streets of bustling Guayaquil; getting into daily mischief in the neighborhood plazas. Martha was fortunate to also enjoy the crisp Andean mountain air of Quito, visiting her tias and primos.

She and her siblings attended a Catholic school, where the nuns were strict and reigned with an iron fist. But they never succeeded in breaking her spirit. Martha was a very athletic young teen, especially enjoying basketball and rugby; always playing full out.

Martha’s family moved to New York when she was seventeen, and after finishing school, she began what would become her lifelong career in accounting. She adapted to the way of the times where even fearless spirits had to play more demure roles. During those early years she met John Meier, whom she married in 1968. The two eventually settled in Wooster, Ohio, where Martha welcomed her only child, Martita. After Martha and John divorced in 1986, she and her daughter moved to San Diego to be closer to her sisters. She spent the remainder of her life in this great city.

Martha was both remarkably handy and deeply artistic. Her daughter often points to their shared projects —building and repairing things in and around the house. She didn't need a handy man, and she showed great courage in living her life independently. Martha loved tending her garden and crafting beautiful jewelry. She adored animals, and throughout her life she loved caring for her cats and dogs. She also took in and cared for several foreign exchange students, some of whom became lifelong friends.

She is survived by her daughter, Martita Meier, as well as her sisters, Henrietta Clifton and Angeles Noboa Heald.