Leonor Cruz

July 8, 1925 - January 13, 2019

Leonor Cruz, age 93, of Lorain passed away on Sunday, January 13, 2019 at Main Street Care Center in Avon Lake. Leonor was the daughter of Petronila “Mita” Gonzalez and Pedro Lopez. She was born Leonor Gonzalez de Lopez in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico on July 8, 1925. She lived in Puerto Rico for the first 30 years of her life. She worked as a Seamstress and Housekeeper for Military families in Puerto Rico. She relocated to Lorain, Ohio to join her sister, Josepha Cruz in 1957. She met her husband Ernesto Cruz (also from Puerto Rico) after relocating to Lorain, OH. They were married on March 14, 1959. Once she married, she became a full time homemaker. Leonor had children who she is survived by: daughters, Ana, Margie, Julia, Iris, and Sarai; sons, David, Abraham, and Natanael; and step-children, Bibiana, Peter, Ernesta, Eliseo, Abel, and Ruben. Leonor was an exceptional cook and her kitchen always had a pot of rice and beans to feed the masses. She enjoyed cooking from scratch and made many Spanish dishes including pasteles, and homemade sofrito which is a vegetable stock/seasoning that adds flavor to many Spanish dishes. Ernesto and Leonor were known as Mami and Papi to their children and grandchildren. She and her husband tended to a large vegetable garden in their Lorain home and on many summer evenings they would sit on their front porch swing. Every major holiday the “Cruz” family would gather at their parent’s home and enjoy a home cooked meal and spend time with each other. Every morning Leonor would enjoy her cup of café bustelo. She loved sweets especially glazed donuts and chocolate! She enjoyed reading Spanish newspapers, magazines and watching Univision. She read many Spanish folklore stories to her children while they were growing up; one of her favorites was “Juan Bobo” or “Foolish John”. Leonor always enjoyed giving pearls of wisdom with a little comic relief or laughter. She was the matriarch of her family. She was loved by many including many surviving grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Ernesto, on May 21, 2010; her grandson, Uriel; and her sister, Monserrate Gonzalez. Everyone was captivated by her beautiful and sweet smile. She was a sweet and kind person. The family will receive on Wednesday, January 16, 2019 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. in the Dovin and Reber Jones Funeral & Cremation Center, 1110 Cooper Foster Park Road, Amherst, Ohio. Private family funeral services will take place at a later date. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.dovinreberjones.com