Alberto Azula

Alberto was the oldest of 4 brothers. Both his parents, devoted Catholics, gave all their sons the same middle name (after St. Ignacio). Alfredo, his father, was a gentle man who worked as a banker and an English teacher. He died of heart failure when Alberto was only 11. His mother, Berta, then started a baking/catering business to support her sons. She died while Alberto was in his final year of studying to be a priest at the Catholic University of America in Washington DC. Since his brothers were still young, he quit his studies to come back to take care of them. He took a job at Pan American to help support his younger brothers.

Alberto was very intelligent, finishing high school before others his age were only beginning. He was sponsored by a Colombian priest to study to become a priest at the University of America in Washington, DC.

He knew 7 languages: Spanish, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Latin and he read Greek.

Alberto never married. He traveled all over the world since he received free travel working as a translator at Pan American Airlines in Customer Relations.

He loved photography and sharing his many trips through slides on a projector was a favorite treat at family gatherings. He loved all his many nieces and nephews and we all loved him. We loved to hear his travel stories. He brought us gifts from around the world. And he always gave the best Christmas gifts.

He moved his brothers to the Miami, after the violent Colombian riots of April 9th 1948 (Bogotazo). Pan American allowed him to transfer there from Bogota.

Alberto was a daily communicant at the weekday noon mass at Annunciation Catholic Church and at the 10AM Sunday mass. When he stopped driving at the age of 95, friends and family took him to mass every day. Alberto prayed the rosary every single day — sometimes several rosaries plus he watched the EWTN daily morning mass and Mother Angelica’s daily rosary. Jesus was the center of his life. He would get up at 5AM to view the pope’s Angelus on Sunday mornings online. He prayed the liturgy of the hours and he always read the scriptures for the following day before going to bed. He also loved the Divine Mercy Chaplet and Eucharistic Adoration. He wanted us to put “Trust in God” on his tombstone.

He was loved by all his family. And he’d share our family history as many times as he was asked. He would joke and tease with the younger children. They loved him too. He was peaceful and happy. And he was very consistent in his daily routines. He was always up at 6AM, making his bed every single day, even at the age of 100. He walked ½ mile to Publix and ½ mile back to buy his evening TV dinner — until the Covid restrictions changed the daily walk to weekly online delivery. He loved hot tea with lots and lots of sugar. He made his own breakfast, lunch and dinner, laundry on Saturdays, helped clean his home before parties and lived life completely independent until his emergency surgery for a blocked intestine right before Thanksgiving 2021. He tried very hard to bounce back, doing all the exercises prescribed by physical therapist who were amazed at his persistence of never giving up. He attributed his longevity to the preservatives in sugar and frozen meals.

During the last 6 months of his life, he became completely dependent on all of us. It was difficult for him, who had always been so independent. So, I asked him why God was allowing this to happen to him. He replied because he was a sinner in need of repentance and reparation. Plus, he said this gave him an opportunity to offer up his suffering for various family members and for various causes.

He loved to take photos and had multiple cameras and was the official family photographer for weddings, birthdays and other celebrations, etc. He carefully categorized all his slides and gave wonderful slide shows at his family gatherings.

He loved to pray. It gave him a lot of comfort. The highlight of his day was going to mass. He was sad when he could not find a ride to mass (usually on a Saturday).

He loved to walk and to read and to listen to classical music. He was also always keeping up with the international and local news, current events and politics. His favorite channel was EWTN. He paid all his bills online until just before his last 2021 hospitalization. He also recited beautiful Spanish poetry from heart.

He was a man of great faith and love. Gentle and humble. Adventuresome. Loved to travel. God and his family were the center of his life. He traveled everywhere, spending every Christmas eve with one set of family in Alabama and leaving really early the next morning to spend Christmas Day with his Florida family. Even into his very late 90’s, he was always up for an adventure! Covid restrictions changed it to being online instead.

His devotion to his family. His resilience — the doctors said he was made out of rubber because he always bounced back. He was also called the Ironman because he would keep coming back, no matter what. He was always kind and cheerful. He had a very high pain tolerance.

If he were present at the funeral, his words of wisdom/advice he might leave us for our continued journey:

Trust in Jesus. Pray and never take your eyes off God. Stay devoted to your family. Be kind.

He developed skin cancer almost 2 decades ago. The doctors said it was so slow-growing that it would never be a problem. However, it appears that cancer finally took his life at almost 101 years old.

Bertha*, Maria Inez*, Maria Cristina (from Alabama)* , Margarita* , Ana Maria* , Jason* , Josh* , Carlos* (his nieces and great nephews and a second cousin) plus the wonderful caretakers at Spring Hills Lake Mary cared for him in his final illness.

He was surrounded by his loving family until just before the day he died. We were all around his bedside, taking turns holding his hand. When we were told by hospice he still had a few weeks left, many of us went to Memorial Day plans with our families. The hospice nurse staying overnight said he was peacefully sleeping all night with normal respiration. But right before 7:30AM, his breathing started slowing down and by 7:33AM, he took a final deep breathe.

He received Last Rites from a priest before passing away. He received it several times since November 2021. The very last time, he also received the Apostolic Pardon on the Thursday evening before he passed.

Privately he always prayed in Latin. He loved the traditional Latin Mass. He always requested that a Latin Requiem Mass be done for his funeral. It has truly been a miracle that things are falling into place so he can get his final request fulfilled. This was so important to him. And the family is so very grateful for this great gift.

About an hour after his passing, all of a sudden, a morning white dove banged on the window and hovered in front of the window, flapping its wings to stay upright, perfectly centered, like a stained-glass window. He then flew up. He returned twice, a total of three times, each time perfectly centered in the window. Then he flew off and did not return. It felt like a sign. I felt peace and then every detail of his funeral started falling into place. It felt like a miraculous day. Thank you so much!

A funeral mass for Alberto will be held Tuesday, June 7, 2022 from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM at All Souls Historic Chapel, 800 S Oak Ave, Sanford, FL 32771. Following the funeral mass will be a graveside committal from 1:30 PM to 2:00 PM at All Souls Cemetery, 1975 W 25th Pl, Sanford, FL 32773.

As far as in lieu of flowers, here are three of his favorite charities:

Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN)

5817 Old Leeds Road

Irondale, AL 35173

http://www.ewtn.com

St. Vincent de Paul Trussville

8090 Gadsden Hwy

Trussville, AL 35173

Central Florida Pregnancy Center

3151 Howland Blvd #100a,

Deltona, FL 32725

http://www.myegiving.com/

The livestream of the funeral mass can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/DzhuTyqvA8Y