Martha Dominguez Merchán

With heavy hearts, we share news of the passing of Martha Domínguez Merchán. Born on September 29, 1949, in Santa Clara, Cuba, Martha lived fiercely a life full of family, food, books, music, and dancing. She passed away peacefully on June 24, 2026, surrounded by family in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Martha came from Cuba in October 31, 1961, as a part of Operation Pedro Pan, one of the largest exoduses of unaccompanied children in the Western Hemisphere. Several years later, her parents were able to flee Cuba and follow their children to Florida, arriving during Martha’s senior year at Miami Senior High School in Florida. She attended Louisiana State University, where she majored in education and met Jorge. A lifelong student of human behavior, Martha returned to the university later in life to study anthropology.

Always questioning the status quo, Martha fought against the daily injustices that most people just let slide, especially when those injustices involved her children. Whenever she saw that the public schools were not giving Greg or Leslie the education they deserved, Martha did whatever it took to raise the bar, even if it meant volunteering to come in and pick up the slack.

A natural raconteur, Martha often told stories of the Cuban revolution, in which her family fought against the oppressive Batista regime. She would tell of fleeing Castro’s betrayal of a free Cuba and landing in the United States on Halloween night to a bizarre scene that made her think, “Where have we landed? What are these people doing?” She would tell of the prejudices Cubans faced in southern Florida and how she dealt with them head on.

Martha volunteered at her children’s public schools, dance schools, and martial art schools, as well as for the Red Cross. She was a Girl Scout volunteer for 23 years, serving as Audubon Council Leader of Troop 161 and volunteering with Louisiana East Council Troop 10236.

She is survived by her husband, Jorge Merchán, son Gregory Merchán and daughter-in-law Jennifer Merchán, daughter Leslie Merchán, and her grandchildren Caileigh Merchán Zuñiga, Sidney Merchán Zuñiga, her sister Carmen Zaida Bonich, and her cousin Lidia Clorinda Klinger. Preceded in death by her mother, Carmen (Beba) Asencio Suarez, her father Eduardo Domínguez Valdez, her brother Eduardo Lazaro Domínguez, her uncle and aunt, Lazaro Asencio and Lidia Enriquez, and her cousin Lazaro. 

A service will be held at St. Jean Vianney Catholic Church in Baton Rouge on July 16, with visitation starting at 10 a.m. and Mass at 11 a.m. A small reception will follow in the St. Jean Vianney parish hall.

Martha’s love remains a guiding presence for all who knew her. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the American Civil Liberties Union or GiveDirectly.