Sophie Quay's Obituary
Sophie Bevilaqua Quay, 87, passed away on December 10, 2011 at her home in Coral Gables, Fl. Born in Warsaw, Poland, her father was Managing Director of a factory producing the handgun of the Polish Army. When the Nazis invaded in 1939, her father sabotaged the factory in order to prevent them from utilizing the gun for the German war effort immediately. Sophie fought in the underground with her father and sister, Helena. The Nazis executed her father in 1940. Sophie and Helena escaped by walking 1,200 miles from Poland to Finland having to leave their elderly mother behind. They sailed to New York, and Sophie lived with her sister Irena and her husband Ambassador Charles W. Yost. She earned an Associates Degree at Georgetown Visitation College. She also attended Barnard College in New York and graduated from Florida International University. Sophie was actively involved in The Polish American Club of Miami and The Cultural Center as well as The Coral Gables Womens Club and the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge in Miami. Sophie joined the City of Miami Police Department in 1958. She enjoyed a thirty-three year career (juvenile, narcotics and vice squad, street detail, and prisoner processing). As a highly decorated Sergeant Detective, she was the Miami Police Woman of the Year, and nominated Police Officer of the year by the International Association of Woman Police Officers in 1985.Surviving are three sons, Paul, a retired aeronautical engineer from Lockheed Corp. in California and now a Profeessor at the University of Miami. John ia a computer programmer with Media Friends, Inc. in Massachusetts, and Victor, a retired marketing executive in New Jersey. Sophie has four grandchildren, Amy Bevilaqua of West Warwick, RI, Charlotte Bevilaqua of San Diego, California, Jackie Bevilaqua and James Bevilaqua, both of New York City, and a great grandchild, Evan Lindberg of West Warwick, RI. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations to the Miami Fraternal Order of Police Chapter:www.fopmiami.com.
What’s your fondest memory of Sophie?
What’s a lesson you learned from Sophie?
Share a story where Sophie's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Sophie you’ll never forget.
How did Sophie make you smile?