Maria Elena Pearse De Amurrio

MARIA ELENA PEARSE DE AMURRIO, 77 of Guatemala, passed on Saturday, December 3, 2022, in while visiting friends, in Leesburg, Virginia. Maria was born Thursday, August 2, 1945 in Guatemala. She was a daughter of the late Edward Pearse, and Maria Cecilia Clayton Pearse. She was predeceased by her husband Jesus Amurrio. Maria leaves her family to cherish her memory including, her son, Mario Edurado Molina Pearse, and daughter in law Caroline Bennett of Rollinsville, CO; her brother, Edward Pearse, and 3 grandchildren, Elena Camilla Molina Myers, Nivale Molina Bennett, and Silas Molina Bennett. Her love for her son and grandchildren superseded all and any other matters in her life. She held friendships with her English American School sisters that were half a century deep. All her friends she loved selflessly without the limitations of pride or prejudice for she valued people for who they were and not where they came from or how they’d gotten to her. She was kind, noble, and giving beyond her own means. She lived life in her own terms all the way to her last days. She was beautiful and gentle, yet tough as an oak. A memorial service will be held at a later date by the family. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Maria's memory to the following charities: Here is the information for giving to Los Gozosos in the USA: Write your check to BFGO, include a note saying it is "For Los Gozosos, Guatemala" and mail it to: Beautiful Feet Global Outreach BFGO/ Three Ravens Global 2000 Mallory Lane Ste. 130-179 Franklin, TN 37067 Telephone: 1(625) 351-2064 Executive Director: David Christopher www.beautifulfeetgo.org Or Give online: https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/MTIyNjM1 Everything given through this link will be transferred to Los Gozosos Guatemala account with no processing fees. Beautiful Feet Global Outreach, Inc. is a 501 (c)3 charitable organization in the USA focused on improving the lives of orphans worldwide. www.beautifulfeetgo.org To Give in Guatemala: You can make a Deposit in to Los Gozosos account at BanRural #3820002560 For your SAT receipt just send us an email with a photo of your boleto to losgozosos@hotmail.com or WhatsApp Hogar Y Colegio (502)5417-0741. Thanks to all of you who have shared heartfelt and thoughtful condolences over the last week. My mothers' passing has been particularly difficult as she was due to visit us next week for the first time since COVID and meet her grandson. It was unexpected and preventable but the current structure of the health care/insurance system once more proved it’s deficient, but that's a different conversation. On the other hand, the support from this community has been loving, empathetic, supportive and understanding. Maria Elena Pearse was a powerful woman whose values and thinking were ahead of her times. She was the first woman to join the all-male Guatemalan Mountain club in her 20's. She was enrolled in the first Ecology college program in Guatemala. She lived and worked in Luxemburg and then in the Bahamas at a time when few females left their home, much less the country. In her 30's she was a single mother working sales in the male- dominated industrial tools industry and making ends meet for us during the height of the civil war. Yet my memories of her are those of a positive, happy, 'all will be fine', 'can-do' attitude woman. In a highly segregated society, she treated and valued anyone who came her way based on their character, not on their origin or history. She was generous beyond her means. She believed in 3rd, 4th, and even 5th chances for those she loved. She inculcated hard work/study to get ahead and that a person's word is their bond. She nurtured friendships that at the time of her passing were 60 years deep. Whether organizing knitting groups for the local orphanage or packing meal kits for the people who collected the garbage, she derived joy from helping anyone she could. To me, she passed on books by Heinrich Harrer, Thor Heyerdahl, and Nevil Shute; implanting a taste for travel and adventure that would last a lifetime. She hung a copy of IF by Rudyard Kipling by my bedroom door when I was 7. Over the years, while she didn't always understand why I did what I did, she was supportive and insatiable in her interest to learn more. Lastly, she loved the Holidays. Regardless of how financially strapped we were, she made it a point to make sure we always had a special meal, cut down and decorated a tree, and held meaningful rituals. She would make sure to hit the pause button on the troubles and duties of the world for a few days and create an atmosphere filled with holiday music, cheer, and as much love as a single woman could generate. With a gratitude filled heart for all your kind thoughts, I wish the same for you and your loved ones this Holiday Season. Mario E. Molina, M.Sc. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.loudounfuneralchapel.com

Maria Elena Pearse De Amurrio

August 2, 1945 - December 3, 2022