Norman, OK - María de Jesus, 95, of Norman, passed peacefully in her sleep Friday, May 21, 2026. She was born February 26, 1931, in Pinar del Río, Cuba, to Andrés Alipio Páez Hernandez and Josefa Gregoria Clausell Hernandez; she grew up the only girl with two brothers. She met Ignacio Manuel Ruiz Diaz

through her involvement in Catholic Action. They wed November 18, 1956 in Pinar del Río, where both worked as school teachers. As their love

brought forth two children, they were persecuted for their faith by the new Cuban government. They fled Cuba in January of 1962.

María and Ignacio lived in Puerto Rico, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Austin, Texas, before moving to Norman in 1998 to be near their grandchildren. In each city, María de Jesús continued to teach and inspire her students, earning a second bachelor's degree (since the Cuban government kept all official transcripts) and a PhD along the way. She was the first minority woman to earn full professor at Southwest Texas State University, where she helped create a program to teach Spanish to those with a familial

connection. In Norman, María taught for nearly twenty years in the University of Oklahoma retired professor program and helped co-found the Fr. Stanley Rother Hispanic Cultural Institute at St. Joseph's Catholic Church.

Alongside her teaching career, María was a caring mother and

grandmother— always a great Nana to her own four grandchildren, and always Nana to others who needed her maternal warmth. Her Cuban bread pudding, empanadas, and tortilla española were unmatched. The pillars of her life were her faith, trust in Divine Providence, and her marriage of over 50 years. Her kindness, cooking, and sense of humor will be missed by all who knew her, especially her family, former students, and the St. Joseph's

community.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, her parents, and her brothers. María de Jesús is survived by her son Ignacio Manuel Ruiz Páez, daughter María de Lourdes Ruiz Scaperlanda and husband Michael;

grandchildren Christopher Scaperlanda and wife Mary, Anamaría

Scaperlanda Biddick and husband Travis, Rebekah Scaperlanda, Michelle Scaperlanda McWay and husband Conor, fifteen great-grandchildren and seven nieces and nephews.

A prayer vigil will be held at 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 29 at St. Joseph Catholic Church 211 N. Porter, Norman. A Mass of Christian Burial will begin 10:30 a.m., Saturday, May 30 at St. Joseph Catholic Church with internment following at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery, 1913 N. Porter in Norman. Arrangements are under the direction of Havenbrook Funeral Home. Online condolences can be made to the family at www.havenbrookfuneralhome.com