Baton Rouge, LA - Luz Marina Barona - September 14, 1934 - August 13, 2025

Luz Marina Muñoz de Barona passed away on Wednesday, August 13, 2025. She will be remembered for the way she filled every space she entered with light, practiced her Catholic faith, and faced life's battles with grace and strength.

Born in Cali, Colombia, Luz was the daughter of Elvia Rengifo Muñoz and Arturo Muñoz and sister to Carlos Alberto and Alfredo. At her baptism, her mother was too ill to attend, so her father gave the priest the name "Gloria Luz," while her godmother insisted her mother wanted "Luz Marina." The priest combined them, unknowingly bestowing on her names that would fully reflect her radiant spirit.

In 1958, Luz Marina married her dance partner, Dr. Narses Barona, on Christmas Day. Together, they built a beautiful life rooted in love, resilience, and generosity. They moved to the United States in 1962 with their young son, Narses Jr., ultimately settling in Baton Rouge, where they welcomed their daughter, Luz Elisa, who became known as Lisa.

Luz was a trailblazer among women, completing college and being one of the first women in her community of San Nicolás to vote and hold a job. She began her career as an elementary teacher and went on to serve as a technical draftswoman, primarily in the College of Basic Sciences at Louisiana State University. Luz also had a creative mind that could transform ordinary moments into magic—from a Cinderella birthday carriage made of vegetables, embroidering beaded wedding gowns to recreating Colombian dance costumes.

Her energy was boundless and her generosity endless. Luz opened her home with dozens of relatives, international students, and neighbors, teaching English and American customs to newcomers. Through food, music, dance, and storytelling, she also educated countless Americans about the culture and traditions of her beloved home country, Colombia.

Luz and Narses traveled extensively, appreciating culture, people, architecture, and art around the world. She also inspired those around her to experience life's beauty in the ordinary—from appreciating native flora to watching pelicans migrate over the LSU lakes.

Her steadfast faith and unwavering optimism were nothing short of miraculous. As a young mother, she was diagnosed with a sarcoma, a rare cancer, which she survived with exceptional care at M.D. Anderson. In the last decade of her life, she faced and overcame kidney cancer twice, affording her the opportunity to fulfill a dream of seeing the Rose Parade in California and an extended visit to Colombia with Carmen and Jim Board prior to losing her sight.

Above all, Luz was devoted to her family. She cared tenderly for her husband during his long battle with Alzheimer's, wielding patience and sacrificial love as remarkable strengths. She adored her grandchildren, who called her NaNa. Throughout her life, she connected with dozens of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends around the world. Her influence shaped their lives profoundly, as she had shaped so many others with her compassion and faith.

Luz is survived by her children, Narses Barona, Jr., and Dr. Lisa Barona McRoberts Lewis, her son-in-law Errin Lewis; grandchildren, David Alexander Barona, Tori (Victoria Anne) McRoberts Hoffpauir and her husband David, Christopher Michael Barona, Neal Lane McRoberts; and great-grandchildren: Joshua, Ana Lucia, Haven, Glory, Merit, Giovanni, and Esperanza. Her family expresses sincere gratitude for those who cared for Luz at home and throughout her life, Lisa, Crystal (Pinnacle Hospice), Kristen (Davita), Carmen Board, and Henry Hurtado; provided transportation, meals, and/or hospitality, Luz Marina and Chris Plater, Jeannie LeBlanc, Michael Liffmann, Victor Sanchez, Mariela Restrepo, Jackie Conque; and emotional support Norma Sardi, Diane and Bobby Leche, and her rosary group. We are eternally grateful for their love and dedication.

A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 23, at St. Joseph Cathedral. Friends and family will gather to pray a rosary at 10:30 a.m. A repast will be held after Mass in the parish hall to visit with the family and friends.