Antonia Acosta Velez

When Antonia Velez walked into the room, those in her company felt energy, an enthusiastic spontaneity. This was just one example of who Antonia was and how she impacted those around her. Antonia was a clever and gregarious person who always sought out the finest attributes in other people. It was as if Antonia wanted to share all of their experiences, revel in their lives and celebrate their discoveries. Antonia was tireless and had boundless enthusiasm that would serve her well throughout her life.

She was the daughter of Gregorio and Aurora (nee Acosta) Camacho. Always at the ready with a good joke, she grew up to be quite a humorous person. While some who knew Antonia might describe her as an idealist, her friends and family understood well that Antonia was always in pursuit of life’s endless possibilities and opportunities available to her.

Antonia was raised with five siblings. She had two older sisters, Pillar Sylvestry and Carmen Leila Torres, a younger sister, Aurora "Dolly" Velez, two older brothers, Gregorio Camacho and Oscar Padilla, and a younger brother, Sebastin Camacho. Antonia was very accepting and supportive of her family. She was perceived as the central person in her family in terms of keeping communication open between the family members. Whenever discord or tension arose within the home, Antonia was typically the member who brought about resolution and harmony. These traits served Antonia well in her adult life and, along with her wit, outgoing personality, and understanding of others, drew the admiration of many who knew her.

Antonia's skill at “building bridges” played an important role in her ability to make her new family happy. She was quite sensitive towards Luis' needs, showing her constant concern and fondness. Antonia was tenderhearted and sensitive, qualities that served her well in helping to nurture her family.

Antonia was a natural and creative parent who was willing to provide her family with all sorts of new and interesting experiences. For Antonia, parenting was a particularly enjoyable and pleasurable part of her life. Every activity, from chores to bedtime routines, became a game in the Velez home. Antonia's skill at understanding her children's feelings, her sensitivity to their needs, and her gift for gentle persuasion enabled her to find novel solutions to any problem or situation that might crop up. Antonia was blessed with two daughters: Maria "Mary" Cruz and Martha Velez. They were also blessed with one grandson, Neil V. Cruz.

Antonia was uplifted by new ideas and was excited by life’s possibilities, traits that made her an exceptional worker. Her primary occupation was as a cosmetologist. She was employed as a seamstress for ten years. Antonia was enterprising, inventive and working against deadlines seemed to energize her. Antonia had the uncanny ability to identify a win/win solution to just about any problem, possibly because of her gift for insight. Antonia's fellow workers saw her as a supporter and a mentor.

Because Antonia loved to have a broad variety of activities in her life, she took advantage of the opportunity to pursue numerous hobbies. Her favorite pursuits were visiting the casino, playing cards, bingo, sudoku, reading, sewing and cooking. Antonia had a knack for being able to multi-task in order to create time for all of her favorite pastimes. However, Antonia's ever-present concern for others always took precedent.

Antonia derived much satisfaction from participating in and watching sports. Her charisma, supportive nature and ability to improvise when called upon to do so all made perfect attributes for enjoying a great many sporting activities. Antonia was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed watching her favorite events whenever she got the opportunity. Tops on her list were wrestling, baseball and boxing.

Antonia was a woman who was dedicated and devoted to her faith. She was a member St. Miguel in Puerto Rico and St. Eulalia in Broadview, Illinois. She was sympathetic and able to empathize with others and she used these qualities to the fullest while working tirelessly for her beliefs.

She adapted and, like everything in her life, made it satisfying. Because she was such a flexible person and able to adjust to any situation, retirement was just another enjoyable change of pace for Antonia to master. In retirement, she found new pleasure in going to the casino and developing her culinary skills. Even in retirement, Antonia continued to stay in touch with her old friends and like always, made plenty of new ones.

Antonia Velez passed away on May 13th, 2010, at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Antonia fought a brave battle against cancer. She is survived by her children Mary Cruz and Martha Velez; sons-in-law Victor Cruz and Reggie Richmond; her grandson Neil Victor Cruz; her brother Sebastin and her sister Aurora "Dolly". Services were held on Wednesday, May 19th, 2010, at the Mount Auburn Funeral Home in Stickney, Illinois. Antonia was laid to rest in Mount Auburn Memorial Park.

There was always a certain style and inventiveness to Antonia. She was a dynamic, self-expressive person who was forever looking to celebrate the endless possibilities life had to offer. She had a knack for being clever, creative and witty, and for others, was a joy to be around. While she was often fiercely independent, it seemed as if many others looked to Antonia Velez for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and even courage. Antonia was always more than willing to share life’s experiences with her loved ones.