Paula Alverio Flores

“What we have once enjoyed deeply we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us”

                                                                                                                                           ~ Helen Keller

These words resonated with us when we heard that Paula Alverio Flores has taken her last breath of 87 years on July 23rd, 2019 and moved on to the great Unknown. Mother of two, grandmother of nine, and great-grandmother of twelve, Paula was the foundation and strength of her family. Born in Humacao, Puerto Rico on June 7th, 1932, she lived a life of perseverance, determination and graceful strength. The youngest of seven children, she lost both parents at a young age, which spurred her departure to New York, where she married, raised her children, and moved to Ohio which provided a better opportunity for her children and grandchildren. She established a legacy of people who will sorely miss her.

One common thread that many observed about her was the way she made those around her feel loved. Whether it was through her signature meals of pancakes and scrambled eggs on the weekends, to the way she smelled when she pulled you in tight for one of her amazing hugs, she always found a way in that moment to make you feel safe, loved and accepted. She instilled in her family how to be strong and take care of themselves, famously telling a few of them on occasion “not to take shit from nobody!” She raised and nurtured a tough clan of individuals who love her deeply and will feel the absence of her presence.

While she is no longer on this material plane, she has become entrenched in our hearts and it is our duty to carry her love forward as we celebrate her life and mourn her death. She has become a part of us, except for the part where she always wins at UNO. That’s just one of those things that will never change.

A celebration of Paula’s life will take place on Sunday, July 28th at 1pm at 5478 Westgrove Drive in Columbus Ohio. 

We love you always and forever Abuela, mucho mucho, siempre siempre!

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