Maria Agro

A funeral mass will be held at Nativity Catholic Church in Hollywood, Florida on Tuesday, June 16, 2020 at 10:30 am. Burial will follow the mass at Hollywood Memorial Gardens Cemetery. 

Maria was born in Brooklyn, New York on July 12, 1965 to her loving parents Alfonso & Mary Agro and was welcomed into the family by her brothers Robert & Richard. They moved to Florida in 1968 when Maria was just 3 years old.

Though she had Down Syndrome, that did not stop her from learning to read and write. She graduated from The Quest Center in Hollywood in 1987. Her Dad proudly made a speech for her graduating class. His face beamed with pride…and some tears. Both her parents doted over her and were very involved with all of her activities. Maria played various sports (basketball, swimming, tennis and bowling) for her school and for the special olympics. She was an incredible athlete in her younger days and had the metals and trophies to prove it!

After high school, she worked at ARC Broward for well over 25 years. She did various jobs during that time from working on the assembly line, cooking in the cafeteria and deconstructing computer’s for ARC’s recycling program. She was so proud to bring her tool box and safety gear to work with her. She also loved performing at their talent shows. She would sing and dance her heart out! 

Maria had so many friends and loved to talk on the phone. She would have nightly calls with her work buddies and former classmates. She even taught herself American Sign Language so she could communicate with her friends whom were hearing impaired. 

Maria loved to play video games and learned to beat most of them because she had the patience to read gaming magazines and practice. She was always learning something new and loved taking on different hobbies. She taught herself how to do hook rugs, cross stitch and crochet later in life. She even had some of her crafts displayed at Art Serve in Fort Lauderdale. She was incredibly creative and had a vivid imagination. She loved the spotlight and was so proud of her crafts. She carried around business cards advertising her craft business and passed them out to everyone she’d meet. She never met a stranger!

She also loved spending time with her family. After her parents passed away in the early 1990’s, she came to live with her brother Richard, his wife Joanne and her nieces, Christina & Lisa. She missed her parents so much she affectionately called her brother and his wife, “Mom & Dad”. Her nieces felt as though she was like another sister to them. They had so much fun with her living in the house. Let it be known, Ms. Maria Agro was HILARIOUS! The comebacks, jokes and phrases she came up with always had everyone laughing. She had the biggest personality and enjoyed being the life of the party. 

Even though she was born with the gift of gab, she was a good listener. If you were sad, she was a shoulder to lean on. If you had a long day she would rub your shoulders. She was just so loving.

Maria was a devout Catholic and prayed everyday. She read the Bible often and enjoyed going to church. She loved singing and dancing. She was a really good dancer. She loved animals. She insisted that all of our family dogs needed a blanket covering them as they slept. She loved children and enjoyed rocking her great-niece and great-nephew, Anna & Matteo to sleep when they were babies. She was an incredible role model, as she always showed pure love and kindness to people. Every time she saw a veteran or a rescue worker she would confidently walk up to them and give them a heartfelt “thank you” for their service. 

In life, Maria was always on to the next big thing. Always planning what was to come and daydreaming about what exciting project she had thought of doing. June 8th was her day to move on to the next big thing. The biggest and brightest place of all. We are confident there was a joyful reunion in Heaven with all of our loved ones whom are already there. We will miss you so much. You’re free now of all the ailments you’ve bravely endured. We love you more than words can describe and we will meet you again in eternity.

Maria is survived by her loving brother, Richard and sister in law, Joanne. Niece Christina and her husband Dennis. Niece Lisa and her husband Rudy. Great niece Anna, great nephew Matteo and many other loved ones.