Maida Rafaela Barroso

Maida Rafaela (Rosquet Gonzalez) Barroso, 85, a devoted mother,
grandmother, great grandmother and pillar of her faith community,
unexpectedly passed away on February 27 th while visiting family in her
home town of Cayajabos, Cuba.
Born on January 4 th 1940 to Lorenzo Rosquet and Maria de Jesus
Gonzalez. She was one of five siblings and is survived by her last living
sibling Julia Rosquet.
Maida’s unwavering faith and service to others guided her life.
Maida and her husband Cirilo, known by all as Barroso came to
America with two of their daughters in 1970. And welcomed their third
daughter in 1976. They bought their home on the eastside and
cemented their more than 50-year commitment to the Latino
community in Columbus.
Maida spent her career at what was then known as Roxanne Labs
where she had a large community of friends and co-workers. She
helped to found the Spanish-American Social Club where she served in
many leadership roles. Together with her husband they opened the first
Latino food store in Columbus called Tropical Food Market. She also
served as a volunteer for Columbus City Schools, Children’s Hospital
and as part of the executive council for Santa Cruz Church.
For more than 40 years she was a faithful member of Parroquia Santa
Cruz where she taught Sunday school and volunteered weekly at
Sunday mass. For her service to the community, she was nominated
as Catholic Women of the year for the Diocese of Columbus. She was
adored by her church family and has a number of godchildren whom
she shepherded.
Her faith and love of God was rivaled only by her love of family. Maida
is a proud mother of three, grandmother of 7 and great grandmother of
10. She never missed a school play, concert, grandparents’ day or
other milestone in the lives of her children and grandchildren.

She loved to cook and bake and showed her love through food. A self-
taught seamstress she often made amazing creations for special
occasions, to decorate our homes or as a token of affection. She was
born with a green thumb and her house and garden were always
blooming with fruits and flowers.
Every day was an adventure for Maida and every experience one to be
relished. She was a master at seeing the beauty in even the most
mundane parts of life. Maida had a photographic memory and was
famous for being the family historian.
Best known as Mami, Mima, Yeya and Abuela to us --we will miss her
hugs, quick wit, the sound of her laugh and the abundant amount of
energy which fueled our family.
She is survived by her daughter Lourdes (Ernesto) grandchildren
Lauren, Wade, Nathan, Sara, Eva and Valentina, great grandchildren
Dereon, Maya, Leilani, Zeke, Amia, Mateo, Antonio, Mason, Carter,
and Londyn.
Maida also leaves behind a large extended family here and in Cuba
and an even larger community of friends that became family.
She is welcomed into heaven by her husband and love of her life
Barroso, daughters Bertica and Mamucha and grandson Spencer.
The family invites friends to celebration Maida’s life on Friday, April 4 th
from 4-7:00 pm at Egan Ryan Funeral Home 403 East Broad Street.
A Catholic Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, April 5 th at 10
am at Our Lady of Guadalupe, Star of the New Evangelization Church
154 Patterson Ave.

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