LINDA T SMITH's Obituary
Linda Teijelo Smith, age 76, passed away peacefully at her home in Coral Gables, Florida on May 14, 2019. She was predeceased by her parents, Arthur J. Teijelo and Olga Gazave Teijelo. Linda is survived by her first cousin, Helen Mayeux Lorio and numerous other relatives. Linda was a native of New Orleans, and born into a French-Spanish family that had strong ties to opera in that city in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Her great-great-uncle, Victor Antoine Viosca, was a member of the Board of Directors of the fabled French Opera House, and later served as President of the Board of the Grand Opera House. Following her early education at the Ursuline Academy, Linda graduated from Newcomb College of Tulane University and then earned a master's degree in mathematics at Stanford University. After moving to South Florida, she earned a second master's degree at the University of Miami, and worked for 20 years as a Senior Research Associate at UM's Rosenstiel School. Linda was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Society of the Founders of the City of New Orleans and the Historic New Orleans Collection. Retirement gave Linda the leisure to tend to her home in Coral Gables, to travel, and to offer her time as coordinator of the volunteers who assist Florida Grand Opera’s artists upon their arrival in Miami. She also supported other cultural organizations in the community, most notably the Miami Bach Society, her interest in Baroque music having begun with FGO's 2000 presentation of Handel's Giulio Cesare. Linda was a devoted FGO subscriber, having never missed a single opera presented by the company. In addition, she has been a strong supporter of FGO's Young Artist Studio, and sponsored four Studio Artists over the past seven years. Relatives and friends are invited to a visitation at 10:00 AM and a funeral mass at 11:00 AM at the National Votive Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, 2701 State Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, on Monday, June 10, 2019. Interment will follow at Lake Lawn Mausoleum. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Florida Grand Opera (FGO.org) or National Votive Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor in New Orleans. A celebration and tribute concert in Miami will be held at the Miracle Theater in Coral Gables on Saturday, October 19, 2019 featuring the FGO Studio Artists and the singers she sponsored.
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