We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of María Elena Montenegro (née Rodríguez), 62, on September 7, 2025 in Iowa City, Iowa. She is survived by her mother, Eva Rodríguez; her sister, Rosa María Rodríguez; her brother-in-law, Patrick Stejskal; her niece, Rocío, and aunts, uncles, many cousins, and many friends. She was preceded in death by her father, José E. Rodríguez.
Born on August 19, 1963, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, María was intensely curious, possessing a brilliant and restless mind. She was also creative, writing transcendent poetry from a young age. She traveled extensively, finding joy in interacting with all those she met, and making many friends along the way.
María graduated from Smith College in 1985 with a bachelor's degree in World Religions, and she received a master's degree in Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School in 1989. While a senior in college, a visit by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to nearby Amherst College, inspired her to embark on a journey of spiritual training. She spent over a decade in Howell, New Jersey under the guidance of the late Sermey Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Tharchin. She also studied at Trijang Buddhist Institute in Northfield, Vermont and Ganden Ling Buddhist Institute in Veneux-les-Sablons, France. She always expressed the deepest gratitude for the time spent learning from and serving her beloved teachers.
María was a gifted writer and meticulous editor, known for her exceptional skill with several languages, including English, Spanish, and French. Since the 1990s, she was active as an editor and co-translator of Dharma materials. Her depth of knowledge reflected both her intellectual and spiritual discipline and her intuitive understanding of a variety of cultural and spiritual traditions. She was awed by the sublime beauty and wisdom of Buddhist teachings and felt honored to work with Dharma texts.
Having undertaken clinical pastoral education in Vermont and New Mexico, María became an interfaith chaplain and end-of-life spiritual caregiver, in both formal and informal contexts. Her most recent service was as Clinical Interfaith Chaplain in the palliative care unit at University of Iowa Health Care.
After more than three decades of intensive study and practice, she was ordained a Buddhist nun in 2015, receiving the name Ani Choetso. She continued to dedicate herself to disciplined Buddhist practice and compassionate support of people of all ages, very often at their most difficult moments - when in doubt, lost, sick, or dying. She will be remembered with love and compassion and greatly missed by all those who knew her.
María's family is deeply grateful for all the care and support she received throughout her painful journey: all the doctors, nurses, and staff at University of Iowa Health Care and at Iowa City Hospice; the many local friends who were always available to help; and all the friends around the world in the Buddhist community (sangha) who were her spiritual family.
Donations in memory of María Montenegro may be made to Iowa City Hospice at https://iowacityhospice.org/donate/ or to Om Tare Free Education Trust by contacting its founder and director at https://www.omtarefreeeducationtrust.org.
"I was born for good-byes, I die with every 'hello'- with every universe that comes before me draped in the skin and scent of consequence. I will slip into your alchemical heart and leave a flower at its shrine with every tear you shed, every bounce of laughter - every moment linking these. Because there must be a place of beauty in the making. It must spin itself out of each illuminated atom and belong to each cell of this flesh on this tiny patch of voiceless earth having swallowed the sky for perspective. If each can be no such place, explain to me this hope - this crystal vision of incendiary hearts - tell me that this exquisite pain is a lie, unworthy of the endless stream of tears and exultation. Then, tell the children the same. I dare you." —María/Choetso
Born on August 19, 1963, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, María was intensely curious, possessing a brilliant and restless mind. She was also creative, writing transcendent poetry from a young age. She traveled extensively, finding joy in interacting with all those she met, and making many friends along the way.
María graduated from Smith College in 1985 with a bachelor's degree in World Religions, and she received a master's degree in Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School in 1989. While a senior in college, a visit by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to nearby Amherst College, inspired her to embark on a journey of spiritual training. She spent over a decade in Howell, New Jersey under the guidance of the late Sermey Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Tharchin. She also studied at Trijang Buddhist Institute in Northfield, Vermont and Ganden Ling Buddhist Institute in Veneux-les-Sablons, France. She always expressed the deepest gratitude for the time spent learning from and serving her beloved teachers.
María was a gifted writer and meticulous editor, known for her exceptional skill with several languages, including English, Spanish, and French. Since the 1990s, she was active as an editor and co-translator of Dharma materials. Her depth of knowledge reflected both her intellectual and spiritual discipline and her intuitive understanding of a variety of cultural and spiritual traditions. She was awed by the sublime beauty and wisdom of Buddhist teachings and felt honored to work with Dharma texts.
Having undertaken clinical pastoral education in Vermont and New Mexico, María became an interfaith chaplain and end-of-life spiritual caregiver, in both formal and informal contexts. Her most recent service was as Clinical Interfaith Chaplain in the palliative care unit at University of Iowa Health Care.
After more than three decades of intensive study and practice, she was ordained a Buddhist nun in 2015, receiving the name Ani Choetso. She continued to dedicate herself to disciplined Buddhist practice and compassionate support of people of all ages, very often at their most difficult moments - when in doubt, lost, sick, or dying. She will be remembered with love and compassion and greatly missed by all those who knew her.
María's family is deeply grateful for all the care and support she received throughout her painful journey: all the doctors, nurses, and staff at University of Iowa Health Care and at Iowa City Hospice; the many local friends who were always available to help; and all the friends around the world in the Buddhist community (sangha) who were her spiritual family.
Donations in memory of María Montenegro may be made to Iowa City Hospice at https://iowacityhospice.org/donate/ or to Om Tare Free Education Trust by contacting its founder and director at https://www.omtarefreeeducationtrust.org.
"I was born for good-byes, I die with every 'hello'- with every universe that comes before me draped in the skin and scent of consequence. I will slip into your alchemical heart and leave a flower at its shrine with every tear you shed, every bounce of laughter - every moment linking these. Because there must be a place of beauty in the making. It must spin itself out of each illuminated atom and belong to each cell of this flesh on this tiny patch of voiceless earth having swallowed the sky for perspective. If each can be no such place, explain to me this hope - this crystal vision of incendiary hearts - tell me that this exquisite pain is a lie, unworthy of the endless stream of tears and exultation. Then, tell the children the same. I dare you." —María/Choetso
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