Aída Mercedes Batlle Morell was born on July 28, 1909, in
Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic. She was raised in a strict
Catholic household. As a result, Aída Mercedes Batlle served as
First Lady of the Dominican Republic from January 1962 to February 1963. Although First Ladies of that era were not as publicly prominent as today, Batlle led several important social initiatives during her tenure. Her work focused primarily on
social welfare and poverty alleviation. She founded the
Patronato de la Maternidad de Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia (Maternity Board of Our Lady of Altagracia), an organization supporting pregnant women and young children. She also established the
Hogar Escuela Mercedes Amiama, a school for vulnerable youth. Additionally, she collaborated with other women to expand
social services in Las Cañitas, a historically underserved neighborhood in Santo Domingo. Her husband, Rafael Filiberto Bonnelly, died in December 1979, leaving Batlle a widow. Aída Mercedes Batlle died at her home at 1:10 a.m. on January 28, 2011, at the age of 101. She was survived by her four children, fifteen grandchildren, thirty-six great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandson. A funeral viewing was held later that day at the La Paz Chapel of the Blandino Funeral Home on Abraham Lincoln Avenue in Santo Domingo. She was buried on January 29, 2011 at the Christ the Redeemer Cemetery (
Cementerio Cristo Redentor) in Santo Domingo. ==References==