Maria C. Grace

Maria Grace (Maria del Carmen Báez Ojeda), born October 20, 1932, in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain, passed away on September 21, 2026, in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

Maria, or Carmela as she was known to her family, spent her early years in the Canary Islands, where she cultivated the strong work ethic, creativity, charitable spirit, and generosity that would define her life, both at home and in the workplace. While working at Interfoto on the island of Tenerife, she met her future husband, Gerald Lawrence Grace, an American artist traveling abroad on a painting fellowship. After months of exchanging letters across the ocean, Maria bravely chose to leave her homeland and join Gerald in the United States. They were married on August 16, 1969, beginning a lifelong partnership rooted in their shared devotion to the Catholic faith, art, and family.

Together they welcomed one daughter, Miriam Elena Grace, and built a life along California’s Central Coast. Maria dedicated herself to caring for her family, nurturing her home with the same tenderness she brought to her passions: gardening, cooking, and sewing. Her home was always filled with color, an immaculate garden, fruit trees, and the comforting aroma of her Spanish-inspired dishes. Maria was widowed on May 9, 1994, and continued to live in Santa Maria until she joined her daughter in South Carolina while Miriam finished her graduate degree. Maria returned to California with her daughter and lived in Ventura County, California.

After the birth of her first granddaughter, Lindsey, Maria moved to Port St. Lucie, Florida, to be close to her daughter, son-in-law, and beloved granddaughters. She cherished her role as a grandmother, pouring her love into Lindsey and Zoey during their early years. Through countless hours of arts and crafts, she passed down her creativity, love for baking, and kind spirit—gifts that continue to shape their lives.

Maria was preceded in death by her parents Lorenzo Báez Hernández and Antonia Ojeda Suárez, her husband Gerald Lawrence Grace, and her siblings Antonia Báez Ojeda, Isabel (Báez Ojeda) Forget, Angel Báez Ojeda, and Rafaela Báez Ojeda; in-laws Consuelo Rodriguez Espinoza, Juan Perez Benitez, Albert Forget, Rosario Almeida, Richard Grace, Patricia (Grace) Smith, Kenneth Smith, Betty (Grace) Ball, and Earl Ball.

She is survived by her daughter, Miriam (Grace) Benson, and her beloved son-in-law, Steven Benson; her granddaughters, Lindsey Shea Benson and Zoey Alissa Benson; her sisters, Pino Báez Ojeda and Soledad Báez Ojeda; her brother, Lorenzo Báez Ojeda; her brother-in-law, Antonio Santana Santana; and many cherished nieces and nephews living in the Canary Islands, mainland of Spain, France, and the United States.

Maria’s charitable spirit, and unwavering devotion to her family live on in her daughter and granddaughters. She will be dearly missed by all who knew her, and her family takes comfort in knowing she is reunited with her Heavenly Father.

Her immediate family will hold a private memorial at a later date and in lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Maria’s name to: Treasure Coast Hospice at treasurehealth.org.