Maria A. Medina

Maria A. Medina was blessed with an abundance of leadership qualities. It would be accurate to say that this woman was an outstanding luminary and that her natural abilities served her well. She knew with certainty how she wanted to set priorities in all aspects of her life. She struck those who knew her as the kind of person who awoke in the morning with a clear sense of exactly what she expected from her day and how to set about accomplishing those goals. Maria was a woman who definitely liked order and was most comfortable with an organized and structured lifestyle. When this climate was absent, Maria would set about immediately to create it.       Her parents were Manuel & Maria Silveira. Maria was raised in Ribeiras, Pico, Azores. Maria was brought up to be reasonable in her actions and was taught to use her intellect wisely. She was an honest and straightforward child, traits that reinforced her self-confidence. Even at a young age, Maria was credited with having a positive influence on those around her.      The positive atmosphere that Maria generated spread to her family. Maria was raised with five. She had three younger brothers Manuel, Jose & Adolfo and two younger sisters Celina & Albertina.       Maria's enthusiasm for learning and the personal energy that enthusiasm generated led to her exhibiting leadership qualities early on in her childhood. She liked to see things executed properly and showed a skill for taking control of situations that were drifting out of control. At the same time, she was willing to experiment with different approaches as she worked a plan towards a solution. In her spare time she liked to crochet, knit & cross stitch.      When it came to academics and school, Maria's organizational skills reaped dividends. Maria was able to create a system for getting her class work done in a proper and timely manner. With a strong ability to analyze her schoolwork and assignments, she could apply a practical, common sense approach completing her studies. She showed a natural curiosity in the manner in which she tackled new types of problems and would regularly challenge her own reasoning ability in finding solutions. She enjoyed some courses more than others and developed favorite classes and teachers. The teacher she enjoyed learning from the most was Senhora Maria Matos.      The work habits and approaches to studying that Maria utilized in high school also served her well in college. Maria always seemed on a quest for knowledge. She was able to generalize, summarize and compile information for her classes, employing a matter-of-fact approach. Maria was intuitive and mentally alert, seemed to crave the challenge of solving complex problems. She started her nursing schooling in Lisbon, Portugal & from there her Internship in Faial Azores Hospital.      In a group of friends and acquaintances, Maria was typically the first person to take the initiative to go up and greet someone new. That quality made her very approachable by others throughout her life. This same quality brought Maria the reward of many friends. Maintaining loyalty to those friends was a trait that came naturally to Maria. She believed that she should treat others in a fair manner, in the same way she wanted to be treated. Maria also showed a great deal of appreciation for the accomplishments of her friends. While growing up, some of her best friends were Berta, Belarmina & Maria Nazare. Later in life, she became good friends with Maria Alves, Benilde, Rosalinda and Estufania. They shared their devotion to the Holy Spirit and their love of family.       In July of 1973 Maria married Joaquim O. Medina at St. Agnes Catholic Church of San Diego. They shared a mutual respect for one another as well as a deep devotion to the Holy Trinity. One of Maria's most treasured gifts was a beautiful silver "Coroa" (Crown), a birthday gift from Joaquim. Maria was a faithful wife and companion to Joaquim up till his passing in September of 1978.      At work Maria was viewed as a natural leader. She could marshal all of the available resources, including personnel and materials, in order to meet virtually any objective. She was great at developing strategies and made maximum progress with little wasted effort. Maria was also adept at uncovering new and more efficient ways of getting things done. She was able to establish and meet objectives and schedules through long range planning and was always able to keep the big picture clearly in sight. Although Maria might have been described by some as an overachiever, she was without question a dedicated and diligent employee. Her primary occupation was a Nurse. She was employed for over 25 years at the hospital in Lajes, Pico, Azore Islands and delivered or assisted in delivering over 2000 children either in the hospital or in their homes      When not working or caring for family members Maria liked to play cards and crochet. Maria took her card playing seriously as she did most things in life and was fun to watch from a safe distance!       Maria's ability to motivate, direct and organize others made her a valuable asset to the organizations to which she contributed during her lifetime. Maria was one who could be counted on to work hard to implement goals and required little to begin work on a specific task. Once a project was begun, Maria had a definite methodology for seeing it through to completion. Throughout her later years, Maria was an active member of several religious organizations including Santissima Trindade, Sr.Bom Jesus, Alianca Acoriana,and the Organization of the Carmelite Nuns. Devoted to her Catholic faith she spent time each week in adoration at St Agnes Catholic Church. Devoted to the Holy Trinity, she was instrumental in caring out the traditions and celebration of Trinity Sunday, originally began by her beloved husband, Joaquim. She worked tirelessly for days on end at the U.P.S.E.S. Hall for the annual Festa do Espirito, Trinity Sunday and other cultural events.      Maria lived her life guided by a well-defined set of beliefs. Her faith and religion were important aspects of those beliefs. She was a member of St Agnes Catholic Church for over 40 years.       Traveling, especially vacations, was another way for Maria to apply her exceptional leadership and organizational skills. She liked exploring different places but also enjoyed designing and scheduling the trips in advance. She had real talent for developing the perfect itineraries. Favorite vacations included visiting Fatima & Pico,Portugal, Hawaii, Vegas and Northern California.      Maria was a lover of animals and cherished her pets. One of Maria's favorites was Abit a parakeet. Maria's niece, Grace rescued Abit out of a dumpster and had to have one of her legs amputated and who better to care for Abit but Maria. Abit, a survivor is now living with Maria's sister, Albertina.      Maria passed away on December 17, 2009 at San Diego Healthcare Center. She is survived by her brothers Manuel, Jose and Adolfo Silveira and her sisters Celina and Albertina Tavares She is also survived by nieces Lina Perry, Noelia Tavares,Mary Tavares,Grace Holmes,Suzette Simoes,Carmen Floyd, Rosemary Ruckle and Maria Jorge as well as her nephews Mario Tavares,Helio Tavares and Adolfo Silveira. Services were held at St Agnes Catholic Church and Maria was laid to rest in Holy Cross cemetery located in San Diego, California.      Maria A. Medina led a fulfilling life, her devotion and love to her family was unconditional and as deeply as she loved she was loved in return.