Eda Lena Brusa

She came to this country from Italy as an infant and spent her early years in an apartment in Manhattan. She lived there with her parents and two younger sisters. She often bragged about jumping down and running up the five flights of stairs several times a day.

She graduated from Julia Richman high school in 1947 and met my Dad shortly after. They were introduced by some friends of her mother over a cup of coffee. They soon married and were together for 68 years, having 2 sons, two daughters-in-law and later 2 grandsons. She cared for us all deeply. Mom was the family bookkeeper and the coordinator of all the family appointments and issues. She was extremely organized. She had complete reign over the household while my Dad was at work. My brother and I did our best to make her job as difficult as possible. But, she was an unstoppable force, and yet the first to attend to every scratch or sniffle we had.

Mom was an incredible cook, not only of Italian dishes but just about any nationality. You would be hard pressed to find equal quality at any restaurant. She also enjoyed knitting and crocheting, making numerous sweaters for the whole family. Those sweaters were thick enough to withstand the temperatures of the North Pole. When I was small, I could hardly move when I was wearing one.

Mom returned to the workplace later in life and worked in Human Resources for the New York City Department of Hospitals for 13 years, where they made good use of her organizational skills. They retired to Florida where they enjoyed 28 years, taking cruises and traveling to Europe. In 2013 they moved to San Marcos to be closer to me after my brother's passing. My Dad passed away in 2015 and she missed him terribly. Dementia continued to limit her and finally took her away from us.

Mom loved to be around other people. She took great pleasure in being with family and cooking incredible meals for them. She made friends easily and was very well liked even by the staff at her last residence. She didn't complain and was very appreciative of everything anyone did for her. She had a long and wonderful life. I will miss my Mom every day, but probably not the times she was chasing my brother and I with a wooden spoon. I'm sure she's making ravioli for my Dad and brother right now.