Maritza Buenahora

Maritza Buenahora passed away peacefully at home with family on January 3, 2026. She was preceded in death by her loving husband of nearly forty-five years, Dr. Arturo Buenahora Muñoz, her son Carlos Orlando Buenahora, her parents Amelia Ordóñez de Bernal and Carlos Bernal Gonzales, and her brother Jaime Bernal Ordóñez.

Born on October 10, 1937, in Bogotá, Colombia, Maritza studied interior design at Universidad Javeriana before marrying Arturo in 1959. Together they decided to move with their four small children to Nashville and made Tennessee their home. They later welcomed two additional children to complete their family.

Maritza was a woman of deep faith, which guided her throughout her life and sustained her through both joy and suffering. She trusted in God’s mercy and lived her vocation as wife and mother with love and devotion. Her days were spent chauffeuring children to schools and activities while working in Arturo’s dental practice and managing a busy household, cooking with love, and sewing with skill. The Christmas stockings she made for her children and grandchildren will be treasured for years to come.

Though adapting to a new language and culture was challenging, Maritza did so with quiet strength and grace. The friendships she developed over the years served as inspiration to seek friends who have qualities you admire and want to emulate. She remained deeply proud of her Colombian heritage and was happy to spend time in the kitchen cooking special recipes with her family. In her later years, she especially enjoyed observing them make the recipes and offering suggestions.

She will be lovingly remembered by her children: Sandra Crooks (Matthew) of Cumming, Georgia, Ana Steele (Brian) of Farmington, Connecticut, Cristina Barr of Jacksonville, Florida, Pilar Jenkins (John) of Nashville, and Arturo Buenahora Jr. (Jessica) of Nashville; her grandchildren: Christopher Crooks (Katie), Alexander Crooks, Catherine Crooks, Sean Crooks, James Steele, Andrew Steele, Lauren Barr (Philip Wilson), Michael Barr (Madeline), David Barr (Megan), John Jenkins, Nina Fisher (Richard), Maximus Buenahora, Simon Buenahora, and Wiley Buenahora; and her eight great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her brothers, Carlos Bernal Ordóñez (Maria Eugenia) and Edgar Bernal Ordóñez (Yira), and her sisters, Marta Bernal de Guerrero and Esperanza Bernal Ordóñez.

We take solace in knowing she is now at peace, reunited with loved ones who went before her, and resting in the loving presence of her Lord. A Mass of Resurrection will be celebrated at St. Henry Catholic Church, 6401 Harding Pike on Thursday, January 15 at 10 a.m. Visitation will take place before the Mass at 9 a.m. in the Church. Burial will take place at 11:30 a.m. at Harpeth Hills Memory Gardens, 9090 Highway 100.

In lieu of flowers, please offer a prayer in thanksgiving for a life well-lived. The family also invites those who wish to honor Maritza’s memory to consider a memorial donation to one of the organizations she supported:

1. 1. St. Cecilia Academy Endowment Fund, stcecilia.edu/support, or St. Cecilia Academy, 4210 Harding Pike, Nashville, TN 37205
2. 2. Father Flanagan’s Boys’ Home, boystown.org/ways-to-give
3. 3. Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Nashville, cctenn.org