Yolanda Cuervo Sanchez's Obituary
YOLANDA CUERVO SANCHEZ, at age 86, was called home to the Lord on December 21, 2023. As she did all her life, Yolanda spent her last hours teaching her family the real meaning of love and commitment. True to her faith and her strength, and despite facing her mortality and its imminence, she did not cry nor did she lament. She smiled, and with 20 plus family members in the room, shared a final goodbye and a message: do not seek the intellect of man but seek the wisdom of God that is more precious than gold;love each other; forgive each other; and stay together as a family.
Born July 13, 1937 in Ybor City to Vicente Cuervo and Elena Fernandez, she was the most beautiful of persons. She was affectionately referred to as Wife, Mom, Mama, Sis, and (depending on the grandchild, great grandchild or great-great grandchild) Lela, Yaya, or Nana. No matter the name, she cherished spending time with all, creating memories, sharing stories, watching baseball and hockey, and above all, sharing the teachings of the Bible and Our Lord.
She was an insatiable reader, and her favorite and almost exclusive subject was the Word of God. Her Bible was read, re-read, re-re-read, and then read again. It was adorned with underlinings, notes, comments and the dates of every event in her children's, grandchildren's, great granchildren's and great-great grandchildren's lives. She was never shy to provide advice, and often bluntly, but even when her sharp wit and tongue were blunt, that bluntness or sharp edge, was muted by her heart and laughter.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Vicente Cuervo and Elena Fernandez; her sister Maria Elena Strauss (Al), and her Husband of 70 years, Armando Sanchez Jr.; her sons, Armando "Boy" Sanchez (Ginger), III and Joseph Thomas Sanchez; her grandson, Daniel Iglesias; her great grandson, Devin Pacheco; and her son-in-law, Nector Abreut.
She is survived by her brother Vincent Cuervo (Brigitte) and sister Diana Rooks (Lamar); three daughters Donna Coughlin (Ken), Debra Abreut, and Melissa Sanchez Gonzalez (Jose); six grandchildren: Dawn Pacheco, Ericke Hare (Vicky), Tamara Davidson (Tom), Vanessa Abreut, Chandra Sanchez (Jade), and Alex Iglesias; eight great-grandchildren: Elizabeth Pacheco (Dominic), Joshua Pacheco (Sylvia), Ericke Hare, Jr., Jordan Hare (Serena), Hannah Montalbano (John), Sarah Davidson, Julia Davidson, and Rebekah Davidson; and six great-great grandchildren: Joshua Pacheco, Jr., Nazayli Corbin (Soren), Norman "Ito" Ortiz, Kaiden Bostic, Nicolas Bostic and Emilia Hare; and many nieces and nephews.
Yolanda leaves behind a five generation legacy, touching everyone in those five generations. Yolanda's traditions, including her famous chicken soup and potaje, were savored and will be missed. When she announced that pots of either were in the making, it was a family race to the house to try to secure our share. We may try to mimic them, but will never be able to equal them.
She "fought the good fight; she finished the race; she kept the faith. Now there is in store for (her) the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to (her) on this day." 2 Timothy 4:7-8. Mom, Mama, Sis, Lela, Yaya, Nana, you will be sorely missed and never forgotten.
The family will receive friends at the Boza & Roel Funeral Home, 4730 N. Armenia Ave., Tampa, Florida on Saturday, December 30, 2023, from 11:00-1:00 immediately followed by a procession to a graveside service at the Centro Espanol Memorial Park Cemetery, 4601 E. Lake Ave. Tampa, Florida.
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