For Marla Chavez, retirement was never supposed to come early.
Her plan was clear and steady: continue working well into her seventies, just like the remarkable women she admired in her Katy book club and at Katy ISD—educators and professionals in their eighties who showed her that passion doesn’t have an expiration date. Marla loved her work in Katy ISD’s technology department, especially the complexity and collaboration involved in statewide student data reporting. She expected to stay for the long haul.
But life—and faith—had a different plan.
“I had a vision for my retirement,” Marla says. “And God had a completely different one.”
Marla spent more than two decades serving Katy ISD, beginning as an elementary school registrar before being recruited to the district’s technology department. There, she became a trainer and specialist in student information systems, eventually working in the PEIMS (Public Education Information Management System) department—an essential function for every Texas school district. She loved the work: collecting data, supporting campuses, collaborating with district leadership, and ensuring accurate reporting to the Texas Education Agency.
Yet her final months in the office grew difficult. Workplace tension tested her patience and spirit. When an opportunity arose to take a promoted position in a neighboring district, Marla was offered more pay and a fresh start. Logic said “go.”
Faith said “stay.”
“I prayed on it,” she recalls. “And God kept telling me not to take it—that I needed to retire from Katy ISD.”
She listened.
Just months later, on a January morning in 2023, Marla’s life changed forever.
While driving on I-10 to jury duty—where she had been selected as jury foreman—Marla suffered a sudden brain aneurysm triggered by undiagnosed high blood pressure. She lost consciousness behind the wheel. Her vehicle drifted out of control, ultimately stopping after striking a concrete barrier. Miraculously, no other cars were involved.
First responders arrived quickly. According to medical records and eyewitness accounts, Marla clinically died for four minutes at the scene. A firefighter manually resuscitated her, then made a critical decision: bypass the closest hospital and rush her directly to Ben Taub Medical Center, home to a top brain surgery team. Transported by fire truck to cut through traffic, Marla arrived just in time.
She underwent an 11-hour emergency brain surgery—followed by treatment for a heart attack brought on by the trauma.
What followed was months of hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and intensive therapy. From January to August, Marla worked tirelessly with physical, occupational, and speech therapists, relearning and rebuilding what many thought she would never regain.
And yet—she did.
At a final follow-up appointment, her renowned brain surgeon stood before his team and medical students and introduced Marla as a living miracle. Given the severity of her condition, he said, she should not be standing, speaking clearly, or seeing normally—yet there she was, strong and whole.
“She’s healthier now than she was before,” he joked.
Marla cried—and still does—when she tells the story.
Throughout her recovery and retirement process, Katy ISD surrounded her with unwavering support. District leaders, colleagues, and especially her technology director helped guide her through paperwork, benefits, and transitions. When she officially retired, the district honored her with a heartfelt celebration recognizing her years of service.
But Marla wasn’t finished serving.
In 2024, Katy ISD reached out again—this time asking if she would consider substitute teaching. A former kindergarten teacher fluent in Spanish, Marla knew she could help meet a critical need. She said yes.
Today, she works nearly every school day as a bilingual substitute teacher in Katy ISD elementary schools—back in classrooms, connecting with students, and doing what she loves.
Her retirement, it turns out, wasn’t an ending at all.
“I thought I knew what my path was,” Marla says. “But I was being watched over. God’s plan was better than mine.”
And in every way that matters, it still is.
