Idalia Lemus

Idalia Lemus, 98, of Altamonte Springs, FL passed away on April 26, 2016. She was born in Guayama, Puerto Rico on September 3, 1917. She has lived in Central Florida since 1962. Idalia was a devoted wife to her late husband of 38 years, Miguel Lemus. The two were married in Cuba on April 8, 1939. Idalia worked as a secretary and draftsperson during her lifetime. She assisted her husband in his neon sign shop and later helped her son in his accounting firm. Her talents led to her passion for art and a love of painting with watercolors. Idalia was a wonderful mother and loving grandma. She will be sorely missed by all those who knew and loved her. Idalia was preceded in passing by her husband, Miguel, her sister, Celia and her parents Juan & Maria. She is survived by her son, Antonio “Tony” Lemus and his wife Maria; grandchildren Mike Lemus and Andrea Lemus; as well as many other family members and friends. Visitation will be held on Sun. May 1 from 4-7pm at Baldwin Fairchild West Altamonte, 90 Weathersfield Avenue, Altamonte Springs, FL 32714. Funeral Service will be on Mon. May 2 at 10am at the funeral home. Interment will follow at Highland Memory Gardens, Apopka, FL. Arrangements are under the care of Baldwin Fairchild West Altamonte, an honored Dignity Memorial provider. Idalia’s Four Lifetimes An Anecdotal Remembrance by Her Son September 3, 1917 – April 26, 2016 The Curious Adventurer: Idalia was born on September 3, 1917 in Guayama, Puerto Rico. Her father was the Post Master of Guayama. She remembers him riding around town on his horse wearing a white linen suit. Her older sister, Celia, played the piano to accompany the silent films at the movie theater. One of her earliest memories was of sitting next to her as she played. In her teens her step-father won a lottery. The family moved from Puerto Rico to Mexico. She recalled roller skating around the deck of the ship during their journey. In the mid 1930’s Idalia and her mother and sister moved to New York City. Idalia was always the youngest in the pack because she was tagging along with her big sister. She enjoyed roller skating. She and her skating buddies would line up and latch onto a bus that would whip them around from Harlem to Central Park. Idalia went to see Benny Goodman at the Paramount Theater in 1937. Now, you should know that Idalia loved to dance. She wanted very badly to get up and dance in the aisles with the other kids, but was afraid she would lose her seat. She was once asked by a competitive ballroom dancer to be his partner. She declined because she wasn’t thrilled with the idea of being away from home, which was good because her mother wasn’t too keen on the idea either since Idalia was only about 19 at the time. The Romantic: Idalia met her husband, Miguel at a dance. He asked Idalia to dance with him but she saw that Miguel had two left feet and refused to dance with him ever again. But, he was not discouraged. He hired a professional ballroom dancer to teach him to dance in order to win her approval. He must have been quite smitten. They met again at another dance and she was impressed enough with his improvement to give him another chance. And the rest, as they say, is history. Before World War II, Miguel and Idalia were engaged. He went back to Cuba after completing his neon sign education. She stayed in New York. Later, his brother, Cipriano, brought Idalia to Havana. The Lemus family welcomed her with open arms and they were married in April 1939. In Cuba, at a time when few women drove cars, Idalia not only drove but drove a stick shift because the family luck struck again and they won a 1955 sports car. One has to wonder if that car is still somewhere on the streets in Havana. She became very close to her mother-in-law, Maria. They painted together and talked of spirituality. Idalia and Miguel wanted to have children, but found that they were unable to conceive. At age 39, Idalia had a coughing spell and coughed up a chicken bone. Lo and behold, one week later she was pregnant with her only child, Tony. To this day, Tony loves fried chicken. Miguel owned his own neon sign shop. In Santiago it was hard for him to keep skilled draftsmen. Once trained, they would go to Havana for better prospects. Idalia took this opportunity to teach herself how to design signs and to draw them in perspective. She did this all on her own. You can see this talent in her paintings. Her sense of perspective is razor sharp. One day Miguel was in a rush for a proposal and was down a draftsman. Idalia had drawn a draft, but she was not pleased with it. She crumpled it up. Miguel grabbed her before she could throw it away and proclaimed it “magnificent”. He took the wrinkled up draft to his client and won the job. From that day on, he had a draftswoman he could count on. The Rebellious Trailblazer: Miguel helped with the Castro Revolution by supplying copper wire. When he was betrayed and wanted to flee, it was difficult to leave the island even though Idalia was a U.S. citizen. An attorney was holding all of the family’s passports in an office. The cunning Idalia waited for him leave town, went to his offices and “stole” their passports. They were on the next Pan-Am flight out of Cuba with only the clothes on their backs and Idalia’s wedding ring stashed inside the hollow heel of her shoe. She made 3 ½ year old Tony wear FIVE pair of underpants. Good thing because they were headed to Plattsburgh, New York in the dead of winter, in February of 1962. The family chose Plattsburgh because Miguel had a job there with Dame Neon Sign Co. In October 1962, the family relocated to Orlando to defrost. They purchased a brand new home in Pine Hills – yes, Pine Hills was new at one time. Idalia became a homemaker and had great relationships with the neighbors. Once, a neighbor left their cat in Idalia’s care. Idalia only spoke Spanish to the cat, calling her “missou, missou”. When the neighbors returned, the cat didn’t understand English anymore. One of her closest friends was Phyllis Ramey. She and Phyllis would organize “viewing parties” for their husbands to watch Mission Impossible. Idalia was a trend setter even then. Who knew viewing parties would become all the rage 50 years later? Many years later, Phyllis became instrumental in Tony’s education at Rollins College as she had risen to the post of secretary to the president of the school. In 1968 Miguel decided to start a sign business in San Juan Puerto Rico. So, Idalia became a co-entrepreneur once again. She got out her pencils and starting drafting signs and keeping the books. Tony vividly remembers that when he would misbehave, he would run away from Idalia to avoid punishment. Well, not to be outdone, Idalia developed one smooth motion in which she would lift her foot to her hand, take off her flip-flop style shoe and throw it at Tony and hit him upside the head. This method of discipline only worked until Tony perfected his ability to catch the shoe in mid-air, at which point they would both erupt in laughter. In 1972, the family moved back to Central Florida and settled in Altamonte Springs. Idalia was a force to be reckoned with. Tony recalls that when he was going into the ninth grade, he came home with his schedule. She saw only basic and remedial classes. She was so angry that she stormed into the counselor’s office and demanded that Tony be re-assigned to the most difficult classes instead. She said that ONLY if Tony failed would the other classes be considered. Tony excelled just like she knew he would. In 1978 Miguel passed from a heart attack. The Artist: Idalia worked hard to provide for herself and Tony. She worked at Stanley Home Products until Tony started his accounting firm in 1984 and she then went to work for him. Many clients will remember being greeted with a cup of Cuban coffee. . . a tradition that continues. Along the way, Idalia found time for a couple of boyfriends, even one that was an ex-CIA employee. The two of them loved to travel together. Idalia loved to spend the holidays with Tony and Maria – an annual tradition that started the year they were married. She often commented on how blessed she was to have such a wonderful daughter-in-law. Idalia continued to work for Tony until she was in her early 80’s. One day she told Tony that she wanted to retire so she could have time to paint. He took her shopping and they bought all the supplies she could possibly need to start her fourth lifetime – that of a true artist. She took all manner of lessons and group classes. She joined the Central Florida Watercolor Society and traveled extensively with them for inspiration. You may have even seen some of her paintings on display at various shows over the years. Idalia enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren. Mike enjoyed her company on many lunches in her home where she would cook him Bistec en Casuela with yellow rice and plantains. Andrea loved her sense of humor and once while driving in a convertible, Andrea noted that the car “is older than you are, grandma!” and Idalia thought this was hilarious. She taught Andrea to paint and entertained both her grandchildren with stories from her youth. They will especially miss her love manifested in desserts – rice pudding WITHOUT raisins and flan. One of Idalia’s fondest memories later in her life was the 95th Birthday party that Maria orchestrated and threw for her. I am sure many of you will remember it as well. Thank you for loving my mom and being a part of her Four Lifetimes. Idalia always said that her paintings would be her lasting legacy. Tony would like to thank Andrea and Cathy for helping him put together these remembrances. Eulogy - Monday, May 1, 2016 Hello, I am Tony Lemus, the only child of Idalia. Good morning to all of us gathered here today in the memory of my mother, Idalia Lemus, so that together we may share both our joy in the gift that her life was to us, and the pain that her passing brings. In sharing the joy and the pain together today, may we lessen the pain and remember more clearly the joy. My family and I offer our heartfelt thanks everyone gathered here, and to those who have sent their condolences. We are very grateful for your kind thoughts and prayers. I am infinitely thankful to my wife, Maria. Her love and support are boundless. Idalia often commented how blessed she was to have such a wonderful daughter in law. Idalia was 98 when she passed on Tuesday, April 26th 2016. It’s hard to say goodbye. Of course we wish we had more time. We know that she is at peace, reunited with her loving husband, Mike. Though she is gone, she has left us with the legacy of her love, her spirit, and her perseverance. The ways she touched our lives will remain, and I ask you to keep those memories alive by sharing them with me and with one another. Mom was an adventurer and artist, with a keen perspective, both in life and on the canvas. One of her favorite things to do was paint. She took great pride in her paintings. It takes patience, perseverance, an eye for detail, and a love for creation and the vibrancy of life. There is beauty and satisfaction in seeing the result of our labor grow and come to fruition – from a blank white canvas to a color filled scene half a world away. There is peace to be found in the dreamlike world of the mind’s eye, making its way to the edge of a brush and onto a page, to share the dream with others. In painting, she brought beauty and peace to the world, adding a richness and fullness to her life and the lives of those around her. Delivered by Andrea Lemus for her and Anthony “Mike” Lemus’ Grandmother To commemorate the rich colors of our Grandmother’s life, I would like to share with you this adapted poem by Helen Steiner Rice ‘Spring Garden’: So when I looked at those paintings, I was looking at God For they flourished in His palette and grew on His canvas. And each lovely brushstroke was a “voice from above” That whispered a message of Kindness and Love For I feel in my heart, and I know you do, too, That God speaks to us all through the kind things we do And when I looked at those watercolors I couldn’t help but feel That they brought heaven nearer and made God so real. A life well lived is not complete without gratitude. My family and I are thankful for the life she lived and how she lived it. When we think of Idalia, we are filled with pride. She lived a long and fruitful life, and persevered through the adversity she encountered. Her bold spirit lives in us and with us every day.