Obituary: Martha Esperanza Castañeda

Martha Esperanza Castañeda, 52, died Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025 at her home in Oxford, following a lengthy and always optimistic struggle against a rare form of cancer. Martha is survived by her husband, Darrel Davis, their daughter, Mirasol Davis; her mother, Eleanor Castañeda; father, Manuel Castañeda; brothers Walter and Jaime Castañeda; and many nieces and nephews.

Martha joined Miami’s Department of Teaching, Curriculum and Educational Inquiry in 2007 and was promoted to full professor in 2019. An excellent classroom teacher and mentor, she was also an internationally recognized scholar, and leader in the field of foreign language education. Throughout her career, she was awarded numerous accolades, including the Nancy Humbach Endowed Chair in Foreign Language Education (2024), the President’s Medal (2021), the John E. Dolibois Faculty Award for Innovation in Global Programming (2019) and the University Distinguished Teaching Award (2013).

Martha loved walking the Miami trails and feeding the colorful birds who flocked to her back deck. She found every excuse to invite people over for her famous guacamole and some of the very best Honduran coffee. International students living far from home found a second mother and a place to celebrate Christmas at her home. Latina faculty found a cheerleader in Martha and a supportive community she created. Newcomers to Oxford, unsure how to make friends, found themselves pulled into her orbit with strangers who quickly became family. No one had more friends or was a more committed friend to more people than Martha. 

There will be a Celebration of Life at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 15 at Kumler Chapel on the Miami University campus. A reception will follow at Hopedale Unitarian Universalist Community, 3870 Millville-Oxford Road (US 27). In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Camp Kesem: https://donate.kesem.org/MarthaCastaneda.