Cuqui Otterbine
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Posted Thursday, Dec. 13, 2012
Cuqui Otterbine, 62, longtime Arlington volunteer and activist
BY SUSAN SCHROCK:[email protected]
ARLINGTON -- Cuqui Torres Otterbine taught seventh-grade catechism at St. Matthew Catholic Church for nearly 30
years. It was just one of the many ways the longtime volunteer served her community, family and friends said Thursday.They were gathered at the east Arlington church to remember Mrs. Otterbine, a mother of six who was known for herunshakable opposition to abortion and her volunteer work helping abused women and the poor.
Mrs. Otterbine died Monday in Arlington. She was 62.
Mrs. Otterbine, a mother of 16-year-old triplet daughters and three adult sons, was left partially paralyzed in 2007 aftertreatment for a second brain tumor. The first has been removed in 2001. Because of her declining health, she had been inand out of nursing homes since 2010, family members said."She was a just a beautiful woman inside and out who lovedArlington," said Councilman Robert Rivera, who had known Mrs. Otterbine since he first ran for public office. The daughterof migrant farmworkers, she graduated from high school in Weslaco, where she was born, and became the first Mexican-American to attend the University of Wisconsin, according to Star-Telegramarchives.A self-employed tax consultant, Mrs.Otterbine volunteered for numerous nonprofit organizations and charities over the years, including Big Brothers Big
Sisters, Arlington Republican Club, and the Women's Shelter, now known as SafeHaven of Tarrant County.
She was active in the Arlington chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens and received the group's firstMerito del Corazon award in 2001. Mrs. Otterbine helped organize an annual Christmas party for the poor at her churchfor almost 24 years and was responsible for tasks such as coordinating volunteers and making sure each female guestreceived a flower, said friend Lico Reyes. This year's party will be dedicated to her memory, he said. "She helped a lot ofpeople and never asked for help for herself," said Reyes, local LULAC director.
Mrs. Otterbine, a devout Catholic, was passionate about right-to-life issues, friends and family said. In 1995, when shewas pregnant with triplets at the age 43, she refused her doctors' advice to abort one of the fetuses to save the other two.All three girls survived. "No matter what the doctor says, the Lord still makes the ultimate decision," Mrs. Otterbine told theStar-Telegramin a 2001 interview.
Another friend, Kyleen Wright, described Mrs. Otterbine as a "a fixture in Hispanic, volunteer and Republican circles inArlington." "She was brilliant and loving -- a tireless volunteer," Wright recently wrote to the Star-Telegram.
Mrs. Otterbine was preceded in death by her husband, Vince Otterbine. Survivors include sons Ruben, Rodrigo andFernando Sanchez; daughters Tara, Marisa and Victoria Otterbine; parents, Felipa and Hipolito Torres; and twograndchildren.
Susan Schrock, 817-709-7578 ; Twitter:@susanschrock
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://twitter.com/susanschrockhttp://twitter.com/susanschrockhttp://twitter.com/susanschrockhttp://twitter.com/susanschrockmailto:[email protected]
