COLUMBIA - Ana (De La Cruz) Lopez passed away peacefully in her home on January 1, 2019. Visitation will be on Sunday, January 6, 2019 from 1:00 to 3:00 at Dunbar Funeral Home Northeast. A private family burial will be on Monday, January 7, 2019 at St. Patrick Catholic Cemetery. A celebration of her life and work will be held later in the year in her beloved community of Queens, New York.
She was born on June 30, 1931 in El Seibo, Dominican Republic, where she trained and worked as a nurse. One of eleven children, she was taught at an early age the value of family, faith, and community engagement. She and her late husband Tomas Lopez immigrated to the United States in 1961 resettling in New York City. She was her children’s biggest fan and had a lifelong devotion to ensuring the well-being of immigrant children and their families. As a fierce advocate for the newly immigrant communities of New York City, she served as a board member of Elmhurst Hospital, Queens Library Association, and the Queens County Community Board. In 1979, she founded the Father Billini Association to provide after school, cultural arts, adult continuing education services, and citizenship classes for the Corona community in New York City. She found great joy in The Billini Children’s Ballet Folklorico - the passing of culture through music and dance. She served as founding director for the Association until her retirement in 2011.
She is survived by her children; Ana Lopez - De Fede (John) and Tomas Lopez (Laura Farber); her grandchildren Mariana (Stuart) Graybeal, Elena De Fede, Christopher Lopez, and Jessica Lopez; great grandchildren James and Henry Graybeal, and treasured extended family and friends.
The family would like to express their gratitude to Dr. Rachelle Gajadhar, the staff at Senior Primary Care, Pamela Corbett, and her other caregivers for their support and care.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to the American Parkinson Disease Association or the Father Billini Association Youth Program.
Memories may be shared at www.dunbarfunerals.com.
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