Elena B Lana

Elena was an only child and was a dutiful daughter to Elena and Aquilino Burgue. She met her future husband, Angel Lana, at the age of 15 and they married and were devoted to each other and their family. Elena came to the US fleeing Castro in 1961. Her husband Angel Lana was a political prisoner and so she raised her family on her own. She worked hard to give her children and her parents a loving home and good life. Her husband Angel died at the age of 42 and she never remarried. She always said he was her one true love. Through all these hardships she maintained her strong faith in God.

Elena graduated from the University of Havana at the age of 20 and had her own drug store. When she came to the states, she worked several jobs to sustain her family, till she went back to college to recertify as a pharmacist at the age of 44. Elena worked as a pharmacist for numerous years and upon retirement she dedicated herself to her loving grandsons, Jim and Jose and also volunteered at the Mandarin Food Bank till the age of 90. She loved giving of herself to others and cherished the friendships she had made at the food bank.

She will missed by her family: daughter, Maria (Jim) Dixon; son, Angel Lana; and Grandsons, Jim and Jose (Kathryn). She felt blessed to have been able to live this long and gotten to meet her great granddaughter, Madelynne Elena.

There will be a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Joseph’s Catholic Main Church Mandarin on Tuesday, August 24, 2021 at 10:00am followed by burial at St. Joseph’s Cemetery. The family requests that attendees wear face masks or coverings and social distance. In lieu of flowers, please contribute to the Mandarin Food Bank or St. Josephs Capital Campaign.

Arrangements by Hardage-Giddens Funeral Home of Mandarin, 11801 San Jose Blvd., Jacksonville, FL (904) 288-0025.