Nereida Soto

Nuestra Nera

Nera, as she was known to her friends and family, was one of a kind. She was born in Batabano, Havana, Cuba on April 21, 1934. Nera was a loving mother, wife, grandmother, great grandmother, aunt, sibling, daughter, and friend. Like so many Cubans of her generation, Nera fled communism in Cuba as a young woman along with her husband, Rafael Soto, and their young daughter, Lillian Mercedes Soto. They left everything behind—family, friends, property, and their home—for the promise of freedom and opportunity in the United States.

In Miami, Nera and Ralph worked lengthy, difficult hours to provide Mercy a loving home, great education, and everything she would need to live a wonderful and fulfilling life. Nera loved her family more than anything and she dedicated the rest of her life to them, including those she left behind in Cuba (Nera would send what little extra food, money, and clothes she could spare to her relatives who were suffering under the communist regime in Cuba).

Maybe the best example of Nera’s heart and soul was the love she had (until her last breath) for her late husband Ralph. She simply adored him from the moment she met him. Her eyes would light up when she saw him and, after he passed away too early at the age of 79, her eyes would still light up and a smile would come to her face as she would say how she missed him so. Her home was covered in pictures of the two of them, Mercy, their grandchildren, and other cherished members of their large, amazing family. To say she was devoted to her Rafi and the family they helped make, support, and grow is an understatement.

Today, we remember Nera, not in the way we saw her in her final years and days as she fought valiantly against Alzheimer’s, but as we knew her throughout her long, incredible life: as a witty, strong, compassionate, funny, amazing, and loving matriarch who showed us all how to live our lives to the fullest of our potential. We remember the hilarious, inappropriate things she would say to people, sometimes even complete strangers, for the sole reason of making them (and us) laugh. We remember the countless times that she put her soft, loving hands on our shoulders and hugged us when we came to her with our problems. We remember her smile, laugh, and her warm embrace when we celebrated milestones together as a family. We remember the love she passed on to each of us and we promise to hold that love dear and pass it on to the next generations of our big happy Cuban-American family. We remember her… and we remember Ralph… and we will love them immeasurably forever, until we get to see them again one day.

Nera is survived by her daughter Mercy, her grandchildren Daniel Garrido and Christian Brito, her granddaughters-in-law Jennifer Camacho and Ashleigh Michelle Brito, and her great grandchildren Danielle Nicole Garrido, Kathryn Elizabeth Garrido, and Maya Michelle Brito.

We love you, Nera, our sweet, funny Viejita Linda.

With our love from Mercy, Danny, Chris, Jenny, Ashleigh, Danielle, Kat, Maya, the entire Soto and Castillo family, and Nera's adored friend Violeta Dominguez.

In lieu of flowers you can make a donation in her name to the link below

https://act.alz.org/site/TR/Events/Tributes-AlzheimersChampions?pxfid=796337&fr_id=1060&pg=fund ).

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.riverofuneralhomehialeah.com for the Soto family.