Obituary
Altagracia Beatriz Espinal Benzan, of Cambridge, passed away at home surrounded by the love of her family on April 30, 2025. She was 89.
Born in Santiago, Dominican Republic on July 15, 1935 she was the daughter of Juana Paulina Espinal and Jose Belarminio “Pusin” Mendez. She left the DR for Puerto Rico in 1954 and came to Cambridge in 1961 with hopes of being a teacher. An immigrant herself, she worked tirelessly to help and improve the lives of fellow immigrants and those less fortunate. She was a figure of generosity, support, and love in the Dominican community.
Altagracia, also affectionately known as Grace, loved music (from Luciano Pavarotti to Michael Jackson), dancing, the Red Sox, long car rides, trips to New York City, shopping, and knitting as she knitted blankets and scarves for all of us.
Her life was dedicated to her family; she instilled in each of us a tremendous work ethic and taught us what it means to be strong and resilient. Later in life, she attended and graduated from University. In addition to her warm smile and witty humor, she was also known for her skills as a seamstress and a cook. In her retirement, she made more than 200 dresses and donated them to charities in the Dominican Republic and Kenya. To us, she was the most resourceful woman who could make something out of nothing with zero waste and who never made her children feel like they had less.
Her love for children went beyond her own, as she served as a dedicated and caring childcare provider at the Technology Childcare Center at MIT for decades.
She is survived by her 8 children: Miguel Rafael and Nancy Benzan of Enfield, Connecticut; John Benzan of Wellesley; Janet Benzan of Cambridge; Harry Benzan of Mattapan; Sharon Benzan of Lynn; Joseph Benzan of Mattapan; Pamela Benzan and Eric Leete of Danvers; and Virginia Benzan of Dorchester.
Her legacy continues with her 16 grandchildren: Olivia Benzan-Daniel, Sophia (Benzan) Lehr, Patrick Benzan, Maya Leete, Katharine Benzan, Jackson Leete, Chloe Benzan-Duval, Grace Leete, Diego Buyu, Ava Benzan, Maximilian Leete, Nina Benzan, Mateo Buyu, Hayes Benzan, Roman Daniel, and Nia Buyu. She is also survived by numerous family members in the Dominican Republic and the United States, including Yolanda Paul, Kelly Daniel, and Chris Buyu as well as many loving nieces and nephews.
Calling Hours will be held in the George L. Doherty Funeral Home, 855 Broadway (Powder House Sq.) Somerville on Wednesday, May 7th from 4:00PM to 7:00PM. Relatives and friends invited to attend. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated in St. Mary of the Annunciation Church,134 Norfolk Street, Cambridge on Thursday morning, May 8th at 11AM. Family and friends are asked to meet at church. Interment will be private.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Altagracia’s name can be made to End Alz in support of Alzheimer’s Disease research and support at https://endalz.org/