Maria Del Rosario Irizarry

Dr. Maria R. Irizarry

Age 74, lived her entire adult life in West Roxbury, Boston, Massachusetts, and recently moved to Orlando, Florida. She passed away on November 28, 2025, at 12:38 a.m.

Dr. Maria Irizarry was born: Maria Del Rosario Martinez Torres in Coamo, Puerto Rico, to Gregorio Martinez and Inez Maria Torres, and happily married to Hilton A. Irizarry for 49 fantastic years in addition to 4 years of engagement. She is survived by her loving brother, Jorge Luis Martinez Torres. 

Dr. Irizarry received her undergraduate degree from the University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras BA in 1973. She received a Juris Doctoral from InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico in 1975. Her master's from Cambridge College, Massachusetts, with a degree in education in 2004. Her doctoral degree from the University of Massachusetts, Doctor of education, on February 1, 1992. 

Dr. Maria Irizarry distinguished herself in Curriculum and Instructional Practices for the School Committee of the City of Boston. She worked endlessly for the development of Curriculum and Instructional Practices, giving emphasis to higher education. The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment Systemic at Boston Public Schools (MCAS), which focuses on standardized tests students take. As an educator with the Boston Department of Education, she presented programs with emphasis on Civil Rights and as an administrator for the office of Equity BPS.

Dr. Maria Irizarry's roots in education were first kindled in her early years of high school in Puerto Rico; when she was appointed by the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to help, promote, study, and develop programs emphasizing on mental health directed to students in the Capital City of San Juan. 

Maria Del Rosario Martinez Torres was awarded second prize in a literary contest for an award-winning essay focusing on the issue of mental health in more than 140 schools throughout the Island of Puerto Rico and its Department of Education for the mentally impaired. In her essay, she described her visits to special education groups at schools such as Francisco Oller High School in Catano, Puerto Rico. 

From the moment she turned eighteen, a singular potent desire took root in Maria Del Rosario Martinez Torres (My Rosie); to experience every texture, color, and story the world held. It wasn't merely a wish for a vacation; it was an urgent, scholarly obsession to study the world's vast, intricate map, not through books, but through lived experience. 

At the tender age of eighteen, as a graduation present from her parents, she took to traveling which ignited a lifelong passion for exploration, she embarked on an academic adventure with a group of friends to witness the breathtaking majesty of Venezuela's Angel Falls, the world's highest uninterrupted waterfall. This initial journey cemented her belief that true knowledge lay beyond the confines of a classroom. 

As a student at the University of Puerto Rico, her academic pursuits extended far beyond the syllabus. She purposefully sought out opportunities, taking it upon herself to join every available student exchange program. This initiative granted her the chance to study the rich histories and cultures of Spain and France. Her education was built not just on theory, but on the profound, messy beauty of the human experience itself.

From the moment we joined in lifelong holy matrimony, we embarked on a month-long traveling honeymoon to Colombia, a fantastic country brimming with culture and history. Our journey took us to the bustling metropolises of Bogota and Medellin, and countless other vibrant cities in between.

Our explorations were a deep dive into the nation's rich heritage, including a memorable visit to the extraordinary Gold museum (Museo Del Oro) in Bogota, where the intricate artistry of the pre-Hispanic indigenous cultures captivated us. Our journey through Colombia led us to the remarkable Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá, located near Bogota. This awe-inspiring site, a former salt mine transformed into a place of worship, seamlessly blends extraordinary human artistry with deeply held religious beliefs. 

The sheer scale of the underground chambers is humbling, yet the inherent danger and the scary thought that life could be cut short in such deep places is palpable. This profound awareness of mortality, coupled with unwavering faith, inspired the miners and artists to carve intricate religious praying stations - The Via Crucis or Stations of the Cross - directly into the salt walls throughout the mines, creating a truly unique and sacred subterranean sanctuary to which she bend her knees and prayed for those that lost their lives and thanked God for those that continued to live.

Throughout our travels, we stayed in a variety of iconic hotels, each offering weary travelers the opportunity to explore the richness of a developing country that was gracefully bringing western modern lifestyles into its fold, all while maintaining its unique identity. Notable stays included the historic hotel El Presidente and the distinguished Hotel Tequendama, establishments that, forty-nine years ago, were emblems and luxury and progress. 

Our life became a continuous, exhilarating lesson plan with the planet as our classroom. We learned the intricate dance of light on the canvas of Venice and the profound murmurs of distant rivers. She studied the resilient smiles of the Iguazu Falls town inhabitants as they continuously rebuild their lives from the ancient customs, admired the quiet wisdom reflected in the eyes of elders in remote Amazonian villages. She didn't just visit places, she absorbed them, documenting flavors, languages, and histories with the fervor of a dedicated academic.

This obsession defined her every choice. Funds were pooled not for comfort, but for visas and plane tickets. Days were spent poring over maps and guidebooks, meticulously planning the next great educational journey. She had an insatiable drive to learn from the human tapestry, to understand what connects us across borders and beliefs. 

We chased horizons until the day fate intervened and an illness "took her away from me." It was a sudden, cruel end to a life dedicated to motion and discovery. Yet the legacy of her grand obsession endures in me. She may have been taken before she could complete her travels of the world, but she taught me that life spent in pursuit of understanding - of learning the world with an open heart and an eager mind - is the most beautiful journey of all. 

From the moment we joined our hearts on that faithful day of June 25, 1977, and until the moment God took her away from me, on November 28, 2025, she eagerly painted a starry starry sky, for Me; with broad strokes and vivid colors the likes that would make a proud Van Gogh eager to see. She was the light of my eyes, and I thank God for the gift. I will always love "My Rosie."