Maria Anderson Easterbrooks

My mother, Maria Anderson Easterbrooks, daughter of the late Julio and Virginia Guardia Jinesta, was born June 27, 1930 in San Jose, Costa Rica. She was the granddaughter of the late Tomas Guardia Gutierrez, President of Costa Rica from 1870 to 1876, and from 1877 to 1882.

Mom was a beautiful, spirited, intelligent, brave, passionate, positive, lively and generous soul, with a great sense of humor.

In 1946, mom received the title of Chartered Accountant and Certified Public Accountant from the Institute of Jose Trinidad Reyes, the largest and highest ranked university in Honduras. She also was a graduate of John Robert Powers School of Modeling, and obtained her real estate sales license. She remained a faithful Christian throughout her life, despite feeling betrayed by a priest as a young teenager, when, in the 1940s, he blessed an arranged marriage between her and a man more than 25 years her senior, a relative of Fidel Castro. The marriage moved her away from her family (who had moved to Honduras from Costa Rica) to Cuba, where she lived for several years prior to the annulment of the marriage, and her escape and migration to the US, after a short time living in Puerto Rico. It was in San Diego she met the true love of her life, my father, Arthur Vernon Anderson. They remained married until his death in her arms in 1967. In 1969 she married my dad, William B. Easterbrooks. Unfortunately, they were divorced in the mid-1980s, a very low point for her, she felt.

Mom loved life, and lived a life full of experiences. She read poetry on the radio as a young teen, she witnessed political struggle and death of close friends and locals in Honduras before her 20th year, she was forced into marriage to a Castro relative, and was treated brutally, she traveled on a boat that secretly harbored arms from Honduras to Cuba, she spoke two languages fluently and was conversational in a third, she was offered a movie role by Kirk Douglas, her face was a muse for a famous painter, Lawrence Vincent Garrison, she and my father were the grand ballroom dancing champions in 1956 at the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego, she witnessed her husband’s death, she was divorced, for decades she was a fashion coordinator, was active in retail sales, and taught classes in Spanish, basic modeling, self-improvement, and make-up, she was a caretaker and inspiration for her grandchildren and lived to see them both attend college, she survived cancer twice and parkinsons disease, she lived in, and travelled to, many countries around the world in her lifetime, including Costa Rica, Honduras, Cuba, Puerto Rico, the US, Italy and Spain. These are a few examples of her incredible life experiences……

Mom was very faithful. She loved the Virgin Mary. She told me that when she was a child she would run to the local church to tell the statue of the Virgin her daily challenges. She always said that she felt that her belief in God saved her life on more than one occasion.

Her beautiful, full life will forever be cherished in my life, and the lives of her grandchildren, and many relatives and long time friends. I am an only child, and besides me, she is survived by my children, her beloved granddaughter, Alexandra Erickson, her beloved grandson, Jake Erickson, her son-in-law, my husband, Jay Short, my step-children, Ryan Short and Cole Short (and their wives and children), her sisters Rosaura Griffiths and Nora Brana, her beloved nieces Laura Seeton, Johanna Vertullo, Elizabeth Griffiths, Maria Ahonen, Virginia Deguchy, Dinora Martinez, Jeovanny Pacheco, Patricia Garcia, Diana Fajardo, Marisela Martinez, Belma Fraire, her sister-in-law Maria Jinesta, her nephews Mark Griffiths, Joe Jinesta, Jaime Jinesta, and Jonathon Von Brana, and numerous other nieces and nephews, and lifelong friends, including Elisa Bonilla, Genarina Ray, Carlos Celoni, Martha Alvarez, Edu Conejo, Maria Dolores Arana, Manolita Ard, Jahan Saravani, John Fazio, Teresa Koch, Elena Hardison, Eva Cavalini and Margarita Estrada. Fernando Luna of San Diego was like a son to her and held a very special place in her heart.

Mom passed peacefully in her sleep. I am so grateful that I was there, holding her hand as she always held mine. I will miss her forever. I will miss the color she gave to every story she ever told me. And all the times she told me I should wear makeup or do my hair. And the many times she told me I could do anything, and somehow made me believe it. I will miss her unconditional love.

I found this poem by an anonymous writer:

How is it that I never saw your wings when you were here with me?

When you closed your eyes and soared to the Heavens, I could hear the faint flutter of your wings as you left

Your body is no longer on this side; but your spirit is here eternally

I see your halo shine

I close my eyes and see your multi-colored wings

They surround me in my saddest moments and my happiest times

Mother, my angel, God has given you your assignment

Always my mother, forever my angel, you fly into my dreams

When I am asleep, I feel your wings brush against my face wiping away the tears I shed since I can no longer hold you in my arms

But I hold you in my heart

You earned those wings, dear mother

And you will always be my angel eternal.

Rest in peace, my angel.

In lieu of flowers, per mom’s wishes, please donate to end childhood cancer to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at www.stjude.org under donate.