Gladys Velazquez

Mrs. Gladys Velazquez was born on November 28, 1944. Her parents were Jeronimo Vazquez and Julia Vazquez. She grew up in Naguabo, Puerto Rico. She grew up with three siblings – Aida Vazquez Ayala, Angelo Vazquez, and Luis Vazquez. Her only living sibling is Aida Vazquez Ayala and we thank God for her life.

Her nieces and nephews are as follows: Ada Ayala Braswell, Marleen Ayala, Julie Ayala Martinez, Charlie Vazquez, Vicky Vazquez, Patricia Vazquez, Beatriz Gaton, Victor Vazquez, Gabby Vazquez, and Ian Vazquez. These are the children of her immediate siblings. She also had nieces and nephews through marriage: Monica Suarez, Carlos Suarez, Yakaira Nunez, Emil Luna-Larsen, Alondra Castillo and William Castillo, Jr.

Gladys Velazquez relocated to New York in her teens and attended Seward Park High School. She was extremely studious and was able to overcome her initial language barrier and obtained her high school diploma. She entered the workplace as a shoe store salesperson on the Lower East Side. Eventually, she retired as a supervising school aid for the Board of Education.

She married and had two children – Ernesto Luna was born in 1969 and Erika Luna was born in 1973. The same year she had her second child, she unexpectedly lost her mother Julia at the young age of 52. Gladys then stopped working to raise her children as, unfortunately, her marriage unexpectedly ended, and she was left to raise her children all on her own. That was one of the biggest hardships she endured but she was a strong, determined lady. Even when she felt alone and left with no support, instead of feeling defeated, she used that to her advantage and developed a growth mindset. Her best attribute was to forgive. “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgive one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32.

The second her children became school age, she secured employment as a NYC crossing guard. The best and biggest thing that happened to her during that period was accepting Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior and she started attending a local Pentecostal Church. It was there she was able to develop and grow her faith and understanding that our heavenly Father would always supply her needs… “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5.

Gladys had several close friends throughout her life: Naty, Rosita, Lourdes, Blanca, Azucena, Nereida, Evelin Mendoza and her best friend in Florida, Elba Crespo. She met her surviving husband, Carmelo Velasquez while attending church. They were married in 1989. They lived by Godly principles and subsequently retired and moved to Lehigh Acres in Florida.

She was blessed with four grandchildren – Ernesto Luna, Jr., Erik Adam Luna, Ryan Branch and Sean Luna. She loved her role as a grandmother and was extremely hands on with them. When Ernesto Jr. and Erik attended the school where she worked, she would always watch over them and provide all the support she could. By the time her younger grandchildren were born, she had already relocated to Florida but that didn’t stop her from being hands on and very involved in their lives. She would visit them as often as she could, and she never missed a special event or their birthdays.

Gladys was financially responsible and never lived above her means. God was always her guiding light. She was reserved and cautious about who she let into her social circle, yet she was still warm, welcoming, loving, and caring. Her church brethren were her family in Christ. She loved all her family members unconditionally.

Gladys fought the good fight and her faith in God never wavered. In 2017, she battled and survived cancer. Her caring physician, Dr. Molena, said that she would make every effort and attempt to extend her life as much as she could, but our faithful God did that and more. He afforded us more time with her, and we are forever grateful to our mighty God. You must all know that she would not want us to be sad but instead would ask that we all draw closer to God and support each other, not just now or during adversities, but always. “The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his kind and exalt the horn of his anointed.” 1 Samuel 2:10.

I would like to thank all those that were a huge help during this time: Dr. Janette Ortiz and Reverend Heriberto Ortiz from Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal Lehigh 2, The members of Thessalonica Christian Church, Pastor David Serrano, Pastor Angelica Tineo, Pastor Jose Cruz, Pastor Marlyn Rojas, Pastor Lizette, Lt. Mary Rosario, Tony Lau, Aunt Ana Viera, Uncle Gaspar and Aunt Nilsa Santiago, Maribel Santamaria-Mendez and George Santamaria, Elba and Lenny Crespo, Alisa Gonzalez, Jeffrey Gaton, Maria (Ernie Jr’s girlfriend), and especially Rosemary Munoz (Ernie’s fiancé), and Lt. Kim Maguire who were very hands on with helping. I would also like to thank Mr. Robert Bourne for being such a good human being in helping families get through their darkest hours, as well as the entire staff at Carrillo Funeral Services.  Lastly, thank you to all our friends and family that have rendered love and support. May God bless you all!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding – Proverbs 3:5.

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