Lia Salgado Casa

"When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.” Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist.

That sums up our sweet, lively, tia (aunt), prima (cousin), and querida amiga (dear friend) Lia Casa. She loved and strived to become better, intellectually, physically, and spiritually; and in so doing, made things around her better too. Lia passed away January 25, 2025 surrounded by family and loved ones, even the furry kind.

Lia was born on June 27, 1938 in Rio de Janeiro with an adventurous spirit. As a child she spent time on her grandparents' farm; as a teenager she enjoyed the beach at Ipanema; and as a young woman she toured the historic cities of Europe. In her thirties she moved to New York to see what adventures the United States held for her. That is where she met her great love, Vinny Casa.

Lia and Vinny had a wonderful life. They lived in New York, California, Florida and finally settled in Georgia. They both loved to travel and took every opportunity available to discover new places and appreciate old ones. Lia had such a spark of fire in her spirit that she even had red hair! With Lia’s zest for life and Vinny's sense of humor they were a perfect match.

Lia was very energetic and always up to something! After a successful career in Import/Export, and at Boeing, Lia used her talents to help others; collecting pajamas for Children’s Hospital of Atlanta, toiletries for a men's homeless shelter, and volunteering at Wellspring Thrift Shop to help women rescued from human trafficking. Her joie de vivre was always on display, whether it was meeting new people, talking for hours on the phone with far-away friends and family, or even just humming around the house and shuffling a little samba.

She loved all animals but especially small, fluffy dogs. After her beloved Sabrina and Max passed, she often pet sat for friends and when the dogs returned home to their owners they were thoroughly spoiled!

Lia was also a very spiritual woman and had great faith in our heavenly Father and the Virgin Mary. She was a devoted parishioner of Holy Trinity Catholic Church where Vinny was also in the Knights of Columbus.

Lia was also a lifelong learner and her joy of life manifested itself into curiosity on a wide range of topics. She loved learning about history, art, nature, space, biographies, the list is endless. She enjoyed a good novel too and could never pass up anything by Agatha Christie.

Lia is survived by her beloved cousins: Sonia Varlike-Weiss, Renato Soares, Isa Levine, Célio Netto, Ronaldo Soares, and Katia Netto; and their respective spouses. She also leaves behind many second cousins; and their respective spouses and children, all who cherished her company and her signature mirth.

Lia will be deeply missed by the ‘daughter she never had’ Christine Clancy, the Golden Girls, the women of Bunko, Avalon Park friends, Village on the Green friends, sus Amigos Latinos, the Crane family, and a host of other special people she collected along her long and winding road.