Obituary of Aura Marina Hall

Aura Marina Hall, passed away in Davenport, Florida on January 19, 2023 at the age of 84. Marina was born in Guatemala City, Guatemala on June 30, 1938, and was raised by her father Anjel Martinez and several aunts. Marina grew up as the youngest of 4 children and worked as an elementary school teacher. When an opportunity came in the 1960s to fulfill her dream, she emigrated to the United States to work as a nanny for a childhood friend, first in Ann Arbor, Michigan and then in Durham, North Carolina. When her friend returned to Guatemala, Marina stayed in the United States. She first became a permanent resident and was proud of becoming a US Citizen in time to vote in the 2008 Presidential Election. Marina was proud of the life she built in the United States after arriving as an immigrant unfamiliar with American language and customs and far from her family and friends in Guatemala.

In North Carolina, Marina met John Hall and the couple married in Durham on January 17, 1970. Shortly after the birth of their daughter Hilda, John and Marina relocated to the Orlando, Florida area in the early 1970s. Marina then worked as a teacher for children of migrant workers. In 1989 Marina started working for Disney, where she worked in the costuming department and was a key cast member for many of the popular Disney shows including Raiders of the Lost Ark and Beauty and the Beast. After retirement in 2005, she and John enjoyed their home in Davenport and spending time with family and friends, especially her sister Hilda and Hilda’s husband Jim Jack. Marina enjoyed fashion and shopping and her regular appointments to get her hair done. She especially loved the holidays and was known for her generous gift giving and late night Christmas Eve feasts with family featuring her famous tostadas and platanos. In recent years, Marina enjoyed traveling to Seattle, Washington to spend the holidays with her daughter Hilda, granddaughter Lucy and son-in-law Dan.

Marina was known for her sense of humor, infectious laugh, and outgoing personality and will be greatly missed by her former colleagues, many friends and surviving family, especially her daughter Hilda, her son-in-law Daniel, her granddaughter Lucy, and her sister Hilda Jack. She will also be missed by many nieces and cousins in Guatemala. Marina was preceded in death by her husband John in 2015.

A funeral mass will be held on Thursday, June 29, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. at St Ann Catholic Church in Haines City, Florida.