Remembering Our Benefactor: Olivia Duncan Cole

Olivia Duncan Cole, a generous benefactor to Niños Incapacitados, was known to many in the Chapala area during the many years she lived there. Thanks to several kind friends and acquaintances who contacted us after our request for information about her, we now have a better picture of this special woman. Some of our own members remembered her only as the woman who volunteered to tell fortunes and read palms at fund-raising events such as the Chili Cook-off and the Triple Crown Race Parties.

By those who knew her better, Olivia was described as a tall, slender, energetic and feisty "character," known to many in and around Chapala. She usually wore shorts, no matter what the temperature, and walked regularly from Chapala to Ajijic. She was reported to have lived in Vancouver and San Diego and came to Mexico some years ago to immerse herself in the culture. She was serious about learning Spanish and once took a language immersion course in a convent in South America. She advised others here at Lakeside to purchase five cent Spanish- language comic books to learn conversational Spanish. Many of her friends were Mexicans and she was kind and generous to those she encountered. One woman remembered how Olivia would provide tortillas to older poor people she met on the Plaza in Chapala.

One woman recalls running in to Olivia in Mazamitla where she moved for a time and became a self-appointed tour guide for that area. The same person also described hearing from a friend of hers in Calgary that Olivia showed up for a Calgary Stampede Parade in a mini skirt and cowboy hat. She entertained her new Stampede friends by jumping up onto a table to dance.

Another young man remembers Olivia after a two hour heart-to-heart conversation with her when he met her on the pier in Chapala last December, apparently just weeks before her death. He described her as a deep and thoughtful, college- educated woman, with many Mexican friends, and who was concerned about the environment and other world problems.

Thanks to all those who helped us at Niños Incapacitados learn more about our kind benefactor. We knew that Olivia Duncan Cole was a generous woman who cared for our local children. Now we know how generous she was with her time and care for many in our community. Thank your Olivia.

Robin Lawrason (March 30, 2006)