Carmen Luisa Cuevas

      Carmen Luisa Cuevas 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. Carmen was a woman who definitely liked order and was most comfortable with an organized and structured lifestyle. When this climate was absent, Carmen would set about immediately to create it.

      Carmen was born on January 17, 1929 at Brooklyn Hospital in Brooklyn, New York. Her parents were Carlos and Carmen L. Ferrant. Carmen was raised in Brooklyn, New York. Carmen 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, Carmen was credited with having a positive influence on those around her.

      The positive atmosphere that Carmen generated spread to her family. Carmen was raised with Three siblings. She had Rachel, Ralphi and Louis. Carmen served as a catalyst within the family. She often found herself in the role of providing fair solutions to those sibling disputes. In every family activity, Carmen was able to demonstrate her uncommon logic and skill at building compromise.

      Carmen'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. As a young girl, she took part in Skating, biking, and horseback riding. In her spare time she liked fishing.

      When it came to academics and school, Carmen's organizational skills reaped dividends. Carmen 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. Her favorite class in high school was home ect.

      In a group of friends and acquaintances, Carmen 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 Carmen the reward of many friends. Maintaining loyalty to those friends was a trait that came naturally to Carmen. She believed that she should treat others in a fair manner, in the same way she wanted to be treated. Carmen also showed a great deal of appreciation for the accomplishments of her friends. While growing up, some of her best friends were Lillian, Rivera, Ruthie Rodriguez. Later in life, she became friends with Edna.

      As Carmen knew in other aspects of her life, she had a clear vision of what she sought in a relationship and worked hard to achieve it. On November 18, 1948 Carmen exchanged wedding vows with Luis Jesus Cuevas at Spanish gospel hall ( City Hall) of Brooklyn, New York. Carmen's secret to success was that she always kept the lines of communication open in the marriage and applied the important skill of being a good listener.

      Family and children were important to Carmen, even if she didn't always show it. Carmen was blessed with three children, Huberto, Patricia, Robert. They were also blessed with six grandchildren, Jennifer,Steven,Victor, Vincent,Adina,Jason. Carmen was able to keep order in the family by using the same efficient and straightforward methods with the family as she did at work. Carmen rarely made a scene when it came to discipline. Instead, she was subtle and patient in her dealings when teaching the children right from wrong.

      At work Carmen 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. Carmen 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 Carmen might have been described by some as an overachiever, she was without question a dedicated and diligent employee. Her primary occupation was Dietary cook. She was employed for Woodruff Community Hospital.

      Not only did Carmen find pleasure in pursuing her various hobbies, she also enjoyed the discovery and research involved in learning about them. Her skill at problem solving had a positive influence on these activities as well. Her favorite pursuits were knitting, gambling and dancing.

      No matter what the activity was, Carmen had the ability to motivate others. This talent influenced her participation in sports, too. She sought out the possibilities in a competitive situation, and she stayed cool and calm under pressure. She relished the stimulation of the action and energy associated with sports. She was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed following her favorite events whenever she got the opportunity. Tops on her list were baseball.

      Carmen 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 Bishop McDonald church.

      Traveling, especially vacations, was another way for Carmen 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 Puerto Rico, New York and Florida.

      Carmen was a lover of animals and cherished her pets. One of Carmen's favorites was Indy a boxer-princess a beagle. Her family was rounded out by her Geglo and JoJo.

      When Carmen's retirement finally came in 2000, she was well prepared. She had worked out all of the details well in advance and knew exactly what she was going to do. Her new life involved relocating to Bellflower and relocated to La Mirada,Ca in 2007 to be close to her family. In retirement, she found new pleasure in dancing-going to casinos. Always a well-informed person, Carmen enjoyed adding to her wealth of knowledge. Retirement afforded her the time to enjoy that experience and provided one more opportunity to look ahead at what life might offer her.

      Carmen passed away on April 26, 2008 at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana, California. Our mother fought a brave battle against heart attacks and then a stroke. She is survived by her children Herbie, Patty,&Bob , six grandchildren six great grandchildren one sister and two brothers. Services were held at Whites Funeral Home. Carmen was laid to rest in Riverside National Cemetery Riverside, California.

      Carmen Luisa Cuevas knew what she wanted from life and never hesitated in going after it. She could be characterized as driven individual, someone who understood the importance of achievement. Carmen was decisive and outspoken at times but was also positive and upbeat about most things. She was a leader, both intentionally and sometimes by default. If she saw that something needed to be done, she was always ready to step up and actualize, organize and implement a plan.