Zaida Emilia Rodriguez

She is survived by her twin daughters, Jacqueline and Miroslava, her granddaughters, Caroline, Gabrielle, and Madeleine, one great-granddaughter, Eloise, and her beloved brother Emilio and sister-in-law Maria Elena Cuadra. She was preceded in death by her husband, Sergio, and parents, Antonio and Juana Cuadra.

She married the love of her life, Sergio, in Panama in 1961 and they remained in love until his death in 2005. She attended the University of Havana and graduated from Florida International University with a degree in Business Administration. She came to the United States as a refugee from the Cuban Revolution in 1964 and quickly fell in love with the United States. She worked for the Internal Revenue Service and the Small Business Administration. She then went on to work for Florida Business Development Corporation, a job she loved, until she retired at the age of 80.

She was devoted to her family and friends. She loved to cook for family and friends, get her hair done, shop, watch TV, garden, and help her daughter foster dogs. Like her father, she was a dandy and was always exceptionally well groomed. She was a beautiful woman who never left home without full makeup and a nice outfit.

There’s no doubt that her devoted dog Bear was waiting for her when she crossed the bridge. Her granddaughters will miss her catch phrase: “How about that?”

Zaida lived an extraordinary life filled with successes, challenges, and the love of family and loads of friends through the years. It was a life well lived.

A Committal Service will be held at Florida Memorial Gardens, located at 5950 South US Highway 1, Rockledge, Florida, on October 15, 2025, starting at 12:00 pm.