Margaret Mavourneen O'Brien

May 17, 1934 - December 12, 2020 Sis, Irish, Ma, Baja, Gigi, Abuela…Born a Hollywood Princess; lived to be a Baja Queen.Passed away unnecessarily early due to complications from yup, Covid; because too many people and leaders still won't take this seriously enough.Oldest child of her beloved parents' Pat and Eloise O'Brien.She had three wonderful younger siblings; her brothers Sean and Terry, and her "miracle" sister Brigid, with whom she never argued their entire lives. Unconditionally loved her own adored three children; Eric, Lisa, and Kurt.Doted on her six grandchildren; Jennifer, Benjamin, Sarah (deceased), Eric, Monica, & Tavo.Who then blessed her with five beautiful great grandchildren: Christian, Isla, JennyAnn, SarahLyn and Baby Girl Sorensen (due in March).She loved Araceli, Beba, Chico, Angelica, Chiquita, and all of her friends and neighbors at Campo Castillo, who cared about and for her.Always with the wind at her back, Mavourneen, can rest powerfully, knowing that all the people listed above, consider her irreplaceable.And, Oh, What a Life!Birthday parties at the Circus hanging with Charlie Chaplin,Playing Charades with Cagney and "Spence" in her living room. Her many "Uncles"; Johnny Mercer, Cary Grant, Joe E Brown, etc. Fan magazines chronicled her upbringing; breathlessly reporting she was sung to sleep by Bing Crosby,who then later tried to set her up with Gary, his oldest.Instead, she ended up going "steady" with Peter, Bob Hope's nephew. Among her other childhood adventures, was being rescued from the surf at Del Mar, by the once-lifeguard "Ronnie", who was rehearsing with her father for his role as The Gipper.From the Surf to the Turf; where she spent her summers in Del Mar growing up, (while living next-door to Lucy and Desi ), she began crowning winners in 1941 at the Race Track her father cofounded and continued going back to the Winners Circle for the next 75+ years.And yet hardly ever spoke about much of this; as even now her family is learning about some of these "adventures" for the first time by reading this!She was a proud Magna Cum Laude graduate of Marymount ('51), where she spent 17 years in the same campus building on Sunset (and hiding her cigarettes and smoking habit from the nuns!) She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in music and a Master of Arts degree in education from Loyola University. Holds a General Life Secondary Credential, Library Science Credential-CSLA,which she used to embark on a career as both an educator and a librarian.Was a member of the Roger Wagner Chorale and sang in Carnegie Hall. Became a volunteer member of the Flying Samaritans; and was director of The Diamond Chorale of Rosarito Theatre Guild.In 2000 The Women's International Center awarded Mavourneen with the Living Legacy Award. She was a very strong athlete; played tennis for many years on the Southland circuit; being coached by May Bundy, first American Wimbledon champion, and later by J. D. Morgan, who coached many national champions at UCLA.She played alongside, while being co-ranked with Maureen "Lil Mo" Connolly; a future grand slam winner.She was blessed with very strong musical skills along with a lovely voice, which she used for decades directing many stage productions throughout Southern California and later down in Baja.Married fellow educator Max David Garten in 1957, and started their family, living for many years in Long Beach. Later, she moved out to the bucolic outdoors of Joshua Tree, where she loved mucking about with the farm animals, and in her beloved gardens; (except for the spiders, and scorpions in the clothes!) You also may or may not have been told the name and history of the animal you were about to eat on your plate.Diagnosed in her 30s with MS, a little understood disease at the time, she became a tireless supporter of, as well as a top fundraiser for the San Diego Area Chapter of the National MS Society.For years doing the 50 mile walk as the oldest participant, and becoming an inspiration to many. It would thrill her if you dropped a little something something into the till of your local MS chapter.She ended up on the coastal edge of Baja California, where she assimilated herself into the culture and with the people, whom she loved.As an alternative to donations, please take a moment to encourage those you care about to wear masks and to stay distantly together;To keep everyone safe and to enjoy these holy days with all of your loved ones. That's what she would have wanted.She made it to Heaven a half hour before the Devil knew she passed; And now she's off on another adventure……Bye Baja...