Margarita Carlson

In Loving Memory of Margarita Carlson

September 21, 1956 – August 11, 2026

Margarita Carlson was born on September 21, 1956, in Brooklyn, New York, to Myrna and Prudencio Crespo. On August 11, 2026, at the age of 69, Margarita lost her courageous battle with cancer. However, she faced the end of her earthly journey with courage, acceptance, and peace.

Growing up, Lonny remembers Margarita as her protector—fun, adventurous, strong, and always ready for a good joke. Affectionately known as “Jiry” to her sister, Margarita was truly one of a kind. She was fashionable, boisterous, colorful, and an unapologetic maximalist who loved to shop, laugh, and enjoy a chilled Malibu coconut rum. Margarita didn't simply enter a room; she brought her personality with her.

Margarita proudly served in the United States Army Reserve, reflecting the strength and independence that defined much of her life.

She later made Wichita, Kansas, her home, where she raised three of her children. Life did not always give Margarita an easy road, but she did the best she could with what she had. Motherhood brought sacrifices, struggles, triumphs, and moments she wished she could have changed, but one thing remained undeniable: Margarita deeply loved all four of her children.

That love extended into the generations that followed. Margarita opened her home and heart to her grandchildren, taking on the responsibility of raising and caring for family when she was needed.

In her darkest hours, Margarita turned toward God. Her faith became the place where she laid down her burdens, including parental guilt, life's disappointments, and the struggles of those she loved. When those burdens became too heavy to carry alone, she brought them to the altar and entrusted them to her Savior.

Her faith also became a calling. Margarita was known for ministering to those who were hurting, struggling, or simply needed encouragement. Her dream of creating a place where people could gather in faith and community became a reality in the early 2000s when she founded Better Covenant Church. There, she was able to share the Word of God, minister to others, and live out the faith that had carried her through many of her own difficult seasons.

Margarita's compassion also shaped her professional life. She worked with KFAN – Kansas Family Network, helping parents at risk of losing their children due to substance abuse and assisting families experiencing poverty and hardship. This work became one of her great passions. Margarita understood struggle, regret, grace, and the courage it sometimes takes to begin again, and she used that understanding to help others.

Margarita's story was not one of perfection. It was a story of perseverance. She experienced life's joys and hardships and continued searching for ways to love, serve, believe, and begin again. She laughed loudly, dressed boldly, prayed fervently, loved deeply, and left pieces of herself in the lives of those she encountered.

Margarita is survived by her mother, Myrna Colon; her sister, Ileana “Lonny” Aviles-Crespo; her children; Venus Cuevas, Ginger Cuevas, and Milton Ayala. Along with her adopted grandchildren, Ileana Carlson, Jonathan Carlson, and Gabriel Carlson; 14 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and one great-grandchild on the way, along with extended family, friends, members of her faith community, and the many lives she touched through her journey, service and ministry.

She was preceded in death by Carlos Colon and her beloved daughter, Delilha Cuevas.

Those who loved Margarita will remember her laughter, her fashion, her larger-than-life personality, her protective spirit, her faith, her determination, and the unmistakable way she loved.

Cancer may have brought Margarita's physical journey to an end, but in her final chapter, she found peace. She knew when it was time to stop fighting, release what she could no longer carry, and let go.

She loved her family.  She served her community. She kept her faith.

And when the time came, she made peace with her journey and gave herself permission to let go.

Rest peacefully, Margarita “Jiry” Carlson.

May the love you gave continue through the generations and through every life you touched.

You are loved. You are remembered. And you are finally at rest.