Maria Nieves De' Velazquez

Maria de las Nieves Aulet Pizarrosa Rodriguez Moragas Wunsch Black Velazquez, 79, of Jenkinsberg, GA, passed away on Thursday, May 15, 2025. Known affectionately as Nieves or Snow, she was the youngest of two daughters of Herardo Aulet and Maria Teresa Pizarrosa. Born on February 20, 1946, in Santiago de Cuba, Maria was raised near Havana. At the age of 16, she participated in Operation Pedro Pan, immigrating to the United States and becoming one of Las Muchachitas de Villa Maria, a convent in San Antonio, Texas.

It was there where she married her first husband, Paul G. Wunsch, and had a son. After her divorce, she moved back to Miami and worked as a secretary and stenographer for the Miami courthouse. She then married Louis A. Black and had another son. The family relocated to the Sandy Springs area of Atlanta, where Maria worked for Bellsouth, AT&T, and Cingular.

Maria had a deep love for music, dancing, and her church. She enjoyed listening to Elvis Presley, Johnny Mathis, and Engelbert Humperdinck, and later developed a passion for disco music of the 70's. It was common for her to quote song lyrics or sing them at any given moment. Spiritually, Maria was born Catholic, attended Calvary Chapel in Sandy Springs, and eventually converted to Messianic Judaism, finding her place at Beth Yeshua International in Macon, GA.

Known for her innate giving spirit, Maria often donated her time and money to the less fortunate. She was a huge animal lover, always surrounded by her dogs, cats, goats, geese, ducks, chickens, and more. Maria is survived by her sister, Gerardina Alvarez; her husband of 27 years, Norberto “Nick” Velazquez; her two sons, Paul Wunsch Jr. and Shane Black; five grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Maria will be interred at Georgia Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Milledgeville, GA, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.