ANNETTE ALICE CRUZ's Obituary
Annette Alice Cruz, age 90, went home to the Lord peacefully on June 21, 2026, in Miami, FL.
She was born in Jamaica, New York, on February 11, 1936 to the late Loretta and David Abrevaya. She married Joe Cruz on September 1, 1957. They had their son, John in 1960 and their daughter Linda in 1963.
They moved to Costa Rica in 1966 and started their new life overseas. Annette stayed home raising John and Linda and learned Spanish by watching telenovelas during the day. She was the mom that all the kids loved and she was usually the driver for all the activities the kids had. Usually piling more kids than there were seatbelts for in our car. Our house was also the one where everyone would hang out. She spent the weekends with the kids swimming and bowling while Joe played golf. She loved to bowl and greatly enjoyed the competitive team she played on.
The family returned to the US in 1981 to live in West Palm Beach and take care of Annette’s aging parents. After not working in an office for 15 years, she put her secretarial skills to work at Great Western Bank as a senior administrator in the Commercial Loan Department. She made friends there that she stayed close with for the rest of her life. She worked at Brandeis University for several years after the bank closed and then moved to Boynton Beach, where she worked in the clubhouse at the Palm Isles community for about 20 years before finally retiring at 82 years old. She welcomed new residents and helped them settle into their homes and community, and she was loved by residents and staff alike.
She loved going to church and was very fond of her St. Thomas Moore Community. After Joe’s death, she joined the widows group at the church and soon became the president. The group was her passion, and she kept herself busy planning fundraisers and social events. They went to mass and then had pizza in the evening or breakfast in the morning, they had yearly Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings, and they would attend plays or concerts at the theater. She absolutely loved her widows!
She was getting ready to go to a Rosary at church when she had her first stroke, and after a few more strokes and seizures, she agreed that it would be best to move in with Linda and her family in Miami. Although her health continued to deteriorate and she couldn’t keep up with the same busy social life she had before, she still enjoyed her time with her family and her small Miami community, especially Sandra who cared for her dearly and played Rummikub with her every day. She was blessed to celebrate her 90th birthday this past February with lots of family and old friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Joe; her brother, Bob Abrevaya; and her stepson Doug (Tasy) Cruz .
She is survived by her son, John (Janet) Cruz; daughter, Linda (Jim) Preston; stepson Mike (Pat) Cruz; four grandchildren; five step-grandchildren; and three step-great-grandchildren.
Eternal rest grant to her O Lord; and let light perpetual shine upon her. May her soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
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