Students Honor Departed Friend With Ofrenda

Tessa Ramirez wiped away tears Wednesday as she admired a special ofrenda, or altar, in Rancho Santiago College’s library.

The colorful display, dedicated to her friend Patricia L. Marin, made Ramirez stop and reminisce about the former Rancho Santiago College counseling assistant who died in her sleep 10 months ago at the age of 43.

“She taught me a lot about me,” said Ramirez, a 31-year-old student. “She was a role model to me. She was my inspiration.”

Student members of the campus group MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan), a Chicano rights movement, erected the ofrenda as part of an early celebration of Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, observed Friday and Saturday.

The Mexican holiday honors departed loved ones with ofrendas that are usually set up in the home or at a cemetery.

MEChA Chairman Gerardo Rodriguez, 21, said that Marin was a beloved advisor to the student organization.

Marin was hired by the college as a part-time clerk and assistant counselor in 1985. She became a full-time counseling assistant in 1988. She was a single parent with three sons.

Co-workers and friends who visited the altar Wednesday remembered her as a dedicated activist who fought for the rights of women and minorities and who put herself through undergraduate and graduate school while working at the college.

She was working as a counselor at San Diego Mesa College when she died.

“Pat was very much community- and grass roots-oriented, and she did so much for the community of Santa Ana,” said Lynne Stedman, dean of counseling. “I thought so much of her and was just so proud of her. . . . She went through a lot, overcame a lot of barriers and was a wonderful role model on campus.”

The altar was decorated with paper marigolds, pictures, Marin’s favorite food (tamales), rosaries, candles and other traditional offerings. Students were encouraged to add pictures and poems.

Among those who visited the altar was Marin’s brother, Lee Medrano. “This is really nice,” he said.