Annette Marin

Annette Cartegena Marin was born on December 12, 1960 to Guillermina Rivera and Francisco Cartegena in Aibonito, Puerto Rico, in the mountains between San Juan and Ponce.  She was the eldest daughter among three brothers and one sister: Bert, Orlando, Freddie and Yolanda. Her father and her brothers Orlando and Freddie, all predeceased her. 

When Annette was a child, her family moved to Brooklyn, New York, where she attended school from elementary through her Junior year in high school. When she was younger, her family and close friends called her Yoitia. Her mother had remarried during this time to Jose Diáz, who became Annette’s stepfather.  Annette’s family moved back to Puerto Rico as she was entering her Senior year in high school. While there she met Ricardo Marin. They married on October 16, 1978. Soon after they married, they moved to the Orlando, Florida area and began to raise a family. She took great joy being a mother to Shauna, Jason and James.  Annette spent as much time as possible with her children. She created crafts, decorated their home for all holidays, made their lunches for school every day and saw to it that they attended CCD and Mass. On Friday evenings, the family went out to dinner together.  They would often go bowling or to movies or they rented movies to watch at home.  Ricardo and Annette’s children would often spend that time with their cousins as well.

She volunteered and taught CCD to young people at her church. She started her career in healthcare in 1994 and graduated from nursing school in 2002. Her first position in the healthcare field was at Florida Hospital.  Her mother had been a nurse and worked in healthcare until her health began to fail a few years ago. Over the years, Annette completed all the necessary coursework for her bachelor’s degree and was a Registered Nurse for nearly 20 years.

Although her marriage to Ricardo ended in 2005, she remained a kind ex-wife and wonderful mother to her then grown children.  In 2007, she moved to Simpsonville, South Carolina where she worked at the Prisma Health Hillcrest Hospital and became a nurse manager. She bought a home in Simpsonville and soon became a traveling nurse. Her specialty was as an Emergency Room nurse. With her sunny disposition and hypnotic smile, she was always able to calm patients (and their families) and provide for their care and healing. She served as a traveling nurse in South Carolina; Zephyrhills, Florida; San Francisco, California; Palm Coast, Florida; Miami, Florida; Aventura, Florida; San Antonio, Texas and Charlotte, North Carolina.

While living in Miami, Florida in 2012, she met Charles Mapson through the on-line dating application ChristianMingle.com. Charles was living in Coral Springs, Florida.  Later in 2012, Charles took a new job in San Antonio, Texas., and Annette was able to secure a traveling nurse position there soon after. They have been together ever since. Annette and Charles were a match made in heaven. Her smile and sunny disposition captivated him from the very beginning. Charles and Annette were married in San Antonio on October 31, 2016. They moved to Apopka, Florida in August of 2018. In December 2019, Annette brought her mother to Apopka, Florida from Puerto Rico to live. Annette gave her mother intensive caregiving through her mother’s failing health and battle with dementia until she could no longer provide the care herself.

Annette took her faith very seriously and had a solid relationship with God through her Lord Jesus Christ. She was a faithful parishioner of churches wherever she lived, including Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic Church, Deltona, Florida; Northland Church, Longwood, Florida; Mary Magdalene Catholic Church, Simpsonville, South Carolina; Holy Trinity Parish Church, San Antonio, Texas; and St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Apopka, Florida. She also diligently watched Joel Osteen’s television ministry and read nearly all of his books. Soon after she moved to San Antonio, she and Charles visited Lakewood Church, and Pastor Osteen gave her an autographed copy of his then latest book.

Of all the things that Annette held dear, her children were the most cherished. Rarely a day passed that she didn’t speak with her daughter, Shauna. She also frequently visited Jason and James. She cherished all her grandchildren and spent as much time as possible with them. Her youngest grandchild was born in May 2019, and Annette spent many precious hours with her. Shortly after her youngest grandchild was born, Annette became an avid listener of Z88.3 Radio, a local Orlando Christian music station. Annette loved the Lord and showed great strength as her last days neared. On August 30, 2023, she departed this life in AdventHealth Orlando Hospital. Hours before her death, her daughter, Shauna, played one of her favorite songs, “Running Home” and her son Jason, told her that when she saw Jesus, she should run towards him. At approximately 11:30 pm on that fretful night, she did just that, and we all know that she is now safe in the Master’s arms.

Leaving to cherish her memory are her husband, Charles Mapson, of Apopka, Florida; her children, Shauna Marin (Jose) of Apopka, Florida; Jason Marin (Ruthie) of Port St. John, Florida and James Marin (Stephanie) of Richmond Hill, Georgia; her mother, Guillermina Rivera, of Apopka, Florida; her ex-husband, Ricardo Marin (Marilyn), of Deltona, Florida; her brother, Humberto Cartagena (Juna) of Deltona, Florida, and her sister, Yolanda Diáz (Edwin) of Bayamon, Puerto Rico; her grandchildren, Julian Marin, of Port St. John, Florida; Lana Marin, of Richmond Hill, Georgia; Ethan Marin of Richmond Hill, Georgia; Genesis Marin of Port St. John, Florida; Sophia Marin of Richmond Hill, Georgia and Tahani Ayala of Apopka, Florida. In addition, she leaves two aunts Milagroa Rivera (Tomas) and Rosa Rivera, both of Aibonito, Puerto Rico, an uncle Alberto Rivera (Aida), of Lancaster, Pennsylvania; and a stepson, T.J. Hall, of Apopka, Florida, as well as a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, brothers in law, sisters in law and many other relatives.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Z88.3 Radio, a listener supported station, which gave Annette and her family so much peace and comfort over the past few years, and especially at the end of her life. To make a donation, go to Z88.3 FM – Orlando's Christian Music Radio Station (zradio.org) and click on “Give” at the top of the page. Note that your gift is in memory of Annette Marin.