Obituary of Alicia Carmela Bautista

Alicia Carmela Bautista, the beloved wife of Mark Bedford with whom she shared 13 years of marriage, died at home on December 1, 2015. Along with their deep love for one another, Alicia and Mark share the Baha'i faith. Alicia had a strong will, a delightful wit, a beautiful spirit, and such grace. Her favorite word was "and." Alicia was a consummate chef and musician. She loved serving others, so she volunteered for WomenCARE, Teen Kitchen Project, UnChained, and Santa Cruz SPCA. She sang for Threshold Choir and taught Baha'i children's classes. In addition to her husband and her puppy love Burt, Alicia is dearly loved by her mother Carol, her sisters Leslie and Gina, her brother Marcus, her niece Annie, and her stepchildren Keturah, Brian, and Kelsey. She was predeceased by her father, Humberto Bautista. A graveside memorial service celebrating Alicia's life will be held on Monday, December 7, at 1 PM at Oakwood Memorial Park, 3301 Paul Sweet Road, Santa Cruz. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Santa Cruz (www.hospicesantacruz.org), Teen Kitchen Project (www.teenkitchenproject.org), UnChained (www.livingunchained.org), Threshold Choir (www.thresholdchoir.org/santacruz), Second Harvest Food Bank (www.thefoodbank.org), Santa Cruz SPCA (www.spcasc.org), or WomenCARE (www.fsa-cc.org/womencare). "The cage is open and the bird is free."