Lourdes Fernandez's Obituary
Maria Lourdes Fernandez obituary
Lourdes Fernandez (“Abuela Mom”) died Dec. 4, 2023, at her daughter Linda’s home, where she had been living in recent years. She was 88.
Lourdes was born in Cuba and lived in Puerto Padre until about the age of 12, when she came to the United States with her mother and older sister. She graduated from Miami Senior High School. She married Baldomero Fernandez and they raised three children in Miami. Both were active in local schools and their church, St. Dominic Catholic Church, being among the first members of that church when it was established.
In 1982, she got a secretarial job at the University of Miami’s Testing Center. In time, her responsibilities grew and she became a pivotal part of the Testing Center, so much so that even after retirement she continued working part-time for them. In a memory book, she wrote fondly of her time there and her bosses, saying they made her feel a valuable part of the team.
As proud as she was of her work at UM, she was even prouder of the accomplishments of her children and her grandchildren. Even as her memory declined, her conversations always revolved around her grandchildren—of their kindness, sweetness, and the way they made her laugh.
A creative woman, she always was doing something that involved artistry: painting tablecloths, scrapbooking, creating cold porcelain figurines, and making cakes. She often gave away her creations as gifts, especially the elaborate cakes she baked for her grandchildren’s birthday. Her cakes were so unique that others began asking her to make cakes, and so cake-baking became a mini-business for her at one point.
She was a strong—often headstrong—woman who taught her children the value of independence and self-reliance. She also was known for her kindness to others. In the days after her death, many people remarked that she always had a smile for them.
In her memory book, she wrote that her best friends were a group that called themselves “Golden Girls” and also friends from a church group, “El Grupo.” But, she wrote, her “very best friends” were her children: Linda Rozo, Lourdes “Gia” Venard, and Baldomero “Merito” Fernandez.
In addition to her children, she is survived by her daughter-in-law, Stephenie Fernandez; sons-in-law Carlos Rozo and David Venard; her grandchildren, Gabriela Rozo, Diego Rozo, Sofia Rozo, Joaquin Fernandez and Pablo Fernandez; and her step-grandchildren, Brian Venard and Kevin Venard.
She was predeceased by her parents, Jose Ramon and Elvira Balmaseda, and her sister, Maria “Maya” Cruz.
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