Edilia is survived by her sisters, Milda Arbide Delafe (Idelfonso), of Orlando, FL. and Juana Arbide Somohano (Angel), of San Juan, PR; her son, Jose Dueñas-Arbide of Phoenix, AZ; her daughters, Nora Clemens (Ben) of Bradenton, FL and Anita Dueñas of Fort Myers, FL; her daughter-in-law, Pam Dueñas of Okeechobee, FL; as well as her 5 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her husband, José A. Dueñas and her son, Juan E. Dueñas, as well as her brothers, José Fermin Arbide Padron, Cipriano Arbide and Reynaldo Arbide.
Edilia was born on February 12, 1928 to Cipriano Arbide and Juana Arbide (Padron) in Cardenas, Cuba. She completed her education and married José, her high school sweetheart, in 1952. After the birth of their first two children, José and Edilia made the difficult decision to emigrate to the United States in 1961, fleeing the establishment of Cuba's communist state. After moving to Louisiana, the couple welcomed two more children, and were dedicated to their family, their church and their new home in America. Edilia and her family spent the 70s and 80s living in Clewiston, Florida, where Edilia was a homemaker and worked as a teacher’s aide, helping children to learn English. For most of her later years she lived in West Palm Beach, Florida, where she and José were faithful members of St Juliana's Church, working diligently within the Catholic community. Edilia was a founding member of the Damas Católicas en Acción (Chapter 2), a group of Catholic women of service at St. Juliana’s Church. She worked as a leader and a member of the organization for many years. She and José moved to Venice, Florida in 2011 to be close to their family, and were members of St Jude Catholic Church.
Edilia was truly the matriarch and loving heart of her family. She was an avid gardener and was known for her Cuban cooking. She enjoyed oil painting, sewing and many other creative crafts. Her true loves were her family and her church. As a mother and grandmother, she was unfailingly supportive of her family.
At this time, no public memorial service is planned. According to José and Edilia’s wishes, the family will gather in the coming months to celebrate her life and to inter Edilia and José’s ashes with José’s parents in Louisiana.
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