Our beloved Leticia Vazquez passed away on August 15, 2022. Leticia, or Letty as she was known to friends and family, was born in Guayama, Puerto Rico on July 9, 1935. She spent her childhood in Guayama and in Barranquitas, Puerto Rico, before moving to Toledo, Ohio, and finishing high school in Ohio. After high school she began working as a bookkeeper for Davis Plywood, and later met her future husband, Homer, who lived near her and her mother. She married in 1957, and had three children, Sandra, Sonia, and Susan.
It was always a dream of Letty’s to go to college, so while a young mother she began taking classes. She graduated from West Chester State College (now West Chester University) in Pennsylvania with a Bachelors of Education. She was a Spanish teacher her entire career, teaching at all age levels from 1st grade to college in both Pennsylvania and later Pinellas County Florida. She enjoyed teaching and the camaraderie she had with her fellow foreign language teachers. She also loved her students, and they loved her back. One of her favorite teaching memories was early in her career when she was hand-picked to teach elementary-age students for a new program in which the class was evenly divided with English-speaking students and Spanish-speaking students. Letty was an ideal choice as their teacher since she was fluent in both languages. She loved seeing the children flourish, and she was so pleased that the kids learned as much from each other - their backgrounds, languages, and cultures – as they did from her.
After she retired from teaching she took up art. She often commented about her inability to draw a circle, but taking a class here and a class there showed her that art was not out of her reach. She loved painting a variety of subjects, but often returned to flowers and landscapes. Her landscapes gravitated toward ocean settings, and many of her favorite paintings were island scenes, reminiscent of Puerto Rico.
Throughout her life she loved to garden. She took classes to become a master gardener, but she was a master long before she received the official certification. She enjoyed being outside tending her garden, and was delighted by the bounty of plants and the beauty of flowers.
When Letty began showing signs of dementia, it was hard for her family to see the happy, independent, feisty, caring, hard-working, fit, spirited, funny and vibrant person leave her. As the end of her life drew near, her bright smile would sometimes emerge, and we felt lucky to catch a glimpse of the beautiful spirit that freed itself momentarily from inside her. Her family is at peace in the belief that she is now whole.
Leticia is survived by her three daughters, Sandra St. John, Sonia Johnson, and Susan Ebbs, and son-in-law Curtis Ebbs. She also deeply loved her grandchildren Sarah Gildersleeve, Dylan Ebbs, Patrick Ebbs, Justin Hoyland, and Antonia Hoyland. She was preceded in death by her father Tiburcio Vazquez, mother Candida Padilla, brother Tony Padilla and former husband Homer Johnson.
The family would like to thank the amazing caregivers at Woodland Terrace, Morningside of Raleigh, Doctors Making Housecalls, Rex Hospital, and WakeMed Hospital for the care each of you gave to Leticia. At a future date the family will travel to Puerto Rico, “My beautiful island,” as she liked to call it, to return her home. To honor Leticia’s spirit, please consider a donation to support Alzheimer’s research, or a charity of your choice.
Vaya con Dios, Leticia.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.BrownWynneCary.com for the Vazquez family.
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