Angela Lopez Castillo

Gracias tía por su amor. Siempre en mi corazón, pensamientos y oraciones.

My wounded Valkyrie has flown back home

I say “My Valkyrie” not because she belongs to me, but because I belong to her. As one would say “my captain”. Valkyries were, in the legends of northern Europe, the celestial warriors who descended to the battle field to carry heroes off to paradise, and Angela was a warrior.Wounded. Indeed. Warriors bear scars because their valor takes them places where wounds are inescapable, and to whoever knew Angela, her valor is undeniable.Has flown back is to acknowledge that death is the appointed meeting we all have with the Lord of the worlds. The burial ring that her body bears says it best: “From GOD I come and to GOD I return”.
I don’t mean to say that her life among us was celestial, but it was, amongst the rich variety of human experiences, exceptional. She perceived the world with an extraordinary wealth of detail, and was also able to remember it that way. It was as if she had a detailed map of the space around her and of the continuous changes in it. For example, just a few days ago I needed a nephew’s address, I knew it was somewhere but that I would have to search for it for hours and I might not find it at all. When I asked her, she said “it’s in the top drawer of the file cabinet by the desk, under the new notebook, with some handwritten papers”. And there it was. She remembered the price of some thing she had bought months before, down to the cent. But her perception wasn’t a mere, passive map, it was as if her attention had captured more than one detail at a time and made many logical connections between them. For instance, she knew the habits of the hawks that frequented a light pole near our backyard; the wiles the stray cats used to get into the garden; and she had affection for all of them. Perhaps the affection was mutual, because whenever she walked out into the garden a lame blackbird would come out to walk beside her. We all, naturally, have similar minds, but not many of us to that degree. If I were to grade her on a scale from 1 to 10, I would say she was more than a 9, and on that scale I would be about a 2. If only governors or presidents had minds like that.
Like a good warrior she performed her duties impeccably.
As a teacher: many of her students set out on gainful careers thanks to her, not only for the technical information she imparted but for the example she set and the support she gave. She was, by nature, demanding in her classes, but her students understood that it was necessary for their own progress. Many of them begged her not to retire, or at least to wait until they had taken all the classes she taught.
As an administrator: She didn’t want to be the director of the Business Department for more than 2 years. In the beginning faculty members resented the order she imposed, but once they became the university’s model department, they were saddened (some tearfully) to see her go.
As a mother: Despite the many difficulties she faced while raising her two children, she carried on until she saw them completely educated and surrounded by their own families. When needed, she undertook heroic trips for them.
As a wife: The Baha’i writings describe marriage as a fortress of wellbeing. She built that fortress around me. She built a house in a garden for us. When she felt that she would be leaving me alone she worked out a way to leave me settled near my daughters. She protected me from countless tasks that a family in this complex modern society must undertake.
As a baha’i believer: For her, the cause of GOD, the cause of our lord Baha’u’llah was above all other things. She was a member of the Auxiliary Corps and participated in countless activities with all her soul, sometimes at great personal cost. One could say that she achieved the attribute of trustworthiness that should characterize every true baha’i, and is so rare in this day.
Like a good warrior she was, without a doubt, brave.
Carlos

Sent a gift in memory of Angela Lopez Castillo

Mi Angelita querida! Que honor el mío el haberte conocido…q pena tan grande en mi alma el no haberte tenido el tiempo suficiente para esa ultima comida juntas… Pero se q estas mejor ahora. Gracias por regalarme siempre esa mirada de amor, esa dulzura de tus palabras, por ese sentido de justicia tan grande q tenias! Te admiro y siempre tendrás un lugar especial en mi corazón! En donde estas te envió un beso y un fuerte abrazo, sabes q te extraño y te extrañare siempre! Hermoso viaje de regreso a nuestro Creador!

Querida Angela, tenerte oficiando en nuestra boda fue un gran honor para nosotros. Tu cuidado, amor y generosidad siempre estaran en nuestro corazon. Se que estas feliz en el Reino de Abha.

Idalia Morales y Tony Scimeca

Muy querida Angelita,
Gracias por tu amistad de todos estos años y por tu amor de amiga y mas que todo “hermana”. Gracias por los recuerdos que podemos guardar y por las gratas experiencias vividas durante los años que estuviste junto a nosotros. Mi familia completa siente tu partida física y todos ellos piden al Creador para que tu viaje sea uno grato. Solo Dios sabe el hueco que queda en nuestras vidas. Siempre serás parte de nuestra familia, tanto tu como Carlos. Un beso y un fuerte abrazo que no te pude dar cuando te visité. Gisela, Manuel e hijos.