EULOGY FOR REBECA CRISTINA WYNTER STEPHENS

Shined on February 18, 1944 - Dimmed on May 8, 2012

Rebeca Cristina Wynter Stephens, our Mom, was born on Friday, February 18, 1944 in Guabito, Bocas del Toro, Panama Republic. She was the daughter of Lillian Valentina Stephens and Henry Solomon Wynter.

She had 13 siblings of which she is survived by five: Justina, Adela, Lillian, Juanita, and Buenaventura.

She was a mother of five children and she is survived by four: FÉLIX RAÚL QUINTERO WYNTER, SOL ÁNGEL WYNTER-ROBINSON, JULIXA RODRÍGUEZ WYNTER, and YOLETH NEKELDA GORDON WYNTER.

She was the grandmother of four: FELIXANDER, DHAZZEL, SOLÁNGEL, and YJANG DANILO.

She was an aunt, a grand-aunt, a mother in law, and a friend.

Our Mother came from a generation of strong, courageous, hard-working women. She raised her children by teaching us to dream big, to be the best, to walk with our heads held high and, by doing so, she helped make of us the professionals we are today. She taught us to never give up, to be proud of whom we are, to be ambitious, yet compassionate and humble.

She touched so many people’s lives with her giving, her listening skills, and her encouragements. You could call unto Mom for the simplest or the most complicated thing and she would always have time for you. Our friends would describe her as being such a sweet and humble person.

Even though she came from a different generation, Mom was a very open-minded person; always willing to learn new things, and appreciated when corrected. She would also make sure she researched what she was just taught.

Our mother had a love for reading and writing. She was a good spell checker, even before the advent of computers… (Smiles). She had a rich vocabulary and in part she was self-taught. One particular memory of one of my siblings was during her elementary school years when Mom taught her how to write the letter “h” in cursive and explained to her how it was similar to the letter “n”.

Proper etiquette was her number one priority. She believed that your life was not dictated by where you came from, but where you wanted to go. Complaining was never a part of her lifestyle. She would always see challenges as blessings in disguise.

She possessed a strong set of values, which were as strong as her genes. She had hardly any wrinkles for a 68-year-old woman, and maintained her natural beauty even towards the end of her life.

Her life was a true statement of humbleness, kindness, and generosity to her children, other relatives, friends, and even toward strangers. This, we feel, is her legacy which will live on forever in each and every one of us and those who were touched by this ANGEL!

We love you MOM!!!

Our family will receive friends at Corey-Kerlin Funeral Home, 940 Cesery Blvd. 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Saturday May 19, 2012.