Blanca Iris Calderon

She was born on Nov. 1, 1935, in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico to Juanita and Manolo Pereira, and was baptized into the Catholic Church on Jan. 1, 1942.

She came to New York City as a young woman where she built a family and career. Early on, she worked in a factory, then for many years for the Coalition for Human Housing assisting in-crisis families to find emergency housing.  She finished her career at Gouverneur Hospital in the Records Department.

She was an active community organizer in the civil rights movement of the 60’s and was present at Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech at the 1963 March on Washington.

In New York, she lived for many years on the Lower East Side and then in Richmond Hill Queens.

She happily spent her final years in Sarasota, FL.

She was preceded in death by her sister, Carmen; brother, Manuel; son, Abraham, and former husband, Ramon Calderon.

She is survived by sons, Samuel and Peter; daughters, Carmen, Raquel and Abigail; 11 grandchildren, and 15 great grandchildren.

Wake on February 24, 2026, 12:00 noon to 4:00 at Robert Toale & Sons Funeral Home at Palms Memorial Park, 170 Honore Ave, Sarasota, FL 34232.  PH. 941-371-4962