Marie Herrera was born in Princes Town, Trinidad, to Shahoud and Tamra Aboud, who migrated from Syria hoping to settle in a new land for the betterment of their children. The second to last of five children - the youngest of the daughters - she had lots to learn. She had many interesting stories of her childhood which told of her spunk and determination and, by her recollection, this usually would not end up good for her as it would incur a not too welcomed correction from her father.
She followed her sister, Rahme to St. Kitts where she met Joseph Sahely. Out of that union, came Tony, Billy, Lorraine, Andre and Emile. The pride and joy of her life - even though sometimes she wanted to send them back. LOL
Her spunk, determination and grit followed her into adulthood. Joseph and Marie returned to Trinidad from St. Kitts where she was the driving force in the founding of Jukebox Distributors - the only jukebox company in Trinidad at that time. Her struggle was real in those days. Women building a business in a man's world were usually frowned upon. She fought back and built the business despite not having a school diploma. Her vision and tenacity pushed her forward. She worked with local musicians of the day - The Mighty Sparrow, Chalkdust, Lord Kitchener, Bob Marley - who stayed at her house on one of his visits to Trinidad, to help them build their talents and business as well. Her famous line - One hand doh clap! She was also one of the founding ladies of The Syrian Lebanese Womens' Association. Together they founded the Princess Elizabeth Home for the Handicapped in Woodbrook and St.Anthony's College in Westmoorings, Trinidad.
Her marriage to Joe didn't go as planned and she would later meet another handsome gentleman, Frank Herrera, who would sweep her off of her feet - literally, as they both loved dancing. Another vision of Marie's came to fruition as they packed up and migrated to Miami where she ensured that her children migrated as well with her.
Once again, Marie was on track. She opened a kid's clothing store, Itsy Bitsy Kidswear together with her daughter, Lorraine. When that didn't work out, she went on to work at Burdines, a night dispatcher at Southland Towing and finally a Customer Service Representative at Dade County Waste Management before moving along with her daughter and her husband, Jimmy, to Sebring. She always said, wherever my daughter goes I'll follow. I'll never leave my daughter.
But she wasn't done there. She volunteered at the hospital, her beloved Unity Church, The Little Theater of Sebring. She organized bus excursions together with Lorraine to Tampa and donated all of the proceeds to Charity. She was a member of the Elks, Amvet and The Moose Lodge where she climbed the ranks and earned her Cap and Gown. She was an active member of the Women's Chapter of the Moose and enjoyed her participation in Moose on Motorbikes aka MOMS - even though she refused to ride on a motorbike. She laughed that she would follow in her car.
She loved to travel and enjoyed her visits to the other Caribbean islands, Europe, Middle East and Canada. She always loved reminiscing of her trips abroad and the people she would meet and all the things she saw.
Through all of this, Marie gave it her all. Everyone who knew Marie, knows that she had a "mouth". Some opinions and her comments - which usually followed the opinions as they came to her - were not always welcomed by few including her children. Some opinions were better left unsaid but not to Marie. It had to be said. It was up to the receiver to decide what they would do with it once it was said. She had no problem speaking her mind. Another wonderful talent was her cooking abilities. She loved to cook. She is infamous for the cabbage rolls, tabouleh, Mamool, Kibbee. You never came to her house and left hungry. Didn't matter who you were. "The more the merrier" Her words. She enjoyed throwing dinner parties. All were invited. She seldom would show up without a dish. She enjoyed cooking for her Unity Church and always participated in their brunches.
Despite her outspoken way about her and her opinions, which made her unique, it wasn't strange for her to pack up and come to you if she knew you were in need - even if it meant driving a hundred miles to get there to give you the last shirt on her back. She was that type of person. Strong and dependable. You could always count on her.
She always held our Lord close at all times. A failing mind in her twilight years but she still knew her hymns and prayers - word for word. She might not recognize you or remember your name, but she knew her scripture and prayers - word for word. She could recall Rock of Ages, Amazing Grace, Psalm 23 and Our Father. While at the hospital she looked up smiling and proudly said, "I remember all of my prayers"
I am thankful Marie was blessed in the many ways she was. She withstood the many storms - her famous line - I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me, the core of her being. She struggled and achieved her goals with His strength. A legacy and living example of what hard work, determination and faith in Christ does and the success of it. God bless her and may she live on in our hearts.
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