Sofia Florecita Perez-Tamayo (Fiore), forever grateful to her mother for saving her from being called Florecita Almendrita, departed from this earthly plane on May 7th, 2014. She left a gaping hole in the hearts of those she left behind, including her daughter, countless friends, brothers, sisters and other family members. To those who were not fortunate to have known her, she had many nicknames,  including Fluffernut, Flofa, Plofa, Big Boss and Chofis but hated being called Sofi. Her name was spelled with an F (and no, it was not "Fofia").

 

She was generous to a fault, resourceful and kind. She loved juicy, rare steaks, a fine cold Veuve Clicquot, long conversations, warm Uggs, her friends, family, and especially, her little Nugget. Her friends and colleagues knew her as a strong,  independent woman with a rapier wit and an even sharper sense of style. But Sofia had a secret side, revealed only this year when she was inspired by our recent brutal winter to create the design for the ultimate in comfort -- the non-denominational Ugg burka (patent pending). 
Having been mistaken for a boy while growing up and denied entrance to the girls' locker room at the YMCA, Sofia made it her mission to always look as glamorous and as trendy as her parents would allow — not an easy task for a Catholic schoolgirl. She was so successful that her mother often complained that she looked like she was about to sing opera. This assessment in no way dissuaded her many fans who emulated her style and ran to get any product she suggested or wore (sometimes unsuccessfully and with tragic results). Although her fearless leaps into fashion werefor the most part successful, she did have a handful of memorable missteps (her sister can be persuaded to show the photographic evidence). These include the "Bride of Frankenstein" hair deployed at her sister's wedding, and the assymetrical shaved checkered head, a la Cyndi Lauper, which she managed to hide from her mother for several months (not an easy feat).

 

Makeup and fashion aside, it was her inner beauty, purity of soul, abnormally long eyelashes, and beautiful skin that will most be remembered.

Sofia's many talents included, but were not limited to, the slow doll eye blink that terrified her older sister into believing she might be the devil; the Wonder Woman hair whip; the thunder snore, which got her in trouble many times including a near rumble at the theater; her ability to fall asleep on a dime (even mid-sentence); her propensity to forgive and forget transgressions both large and small; her "death glare" which could silence anyone or anything; and the amazing ability to make any problem seem surmountable. Her advice, whether asked for or not, often given at four in the morning or during her long commute to and from work, was always en pointe even if the recipient was sometimes too sleepy to remember. She had an uncanny knack for knowing how to make things work with people and technology — skills which served her well in all aspects of her life and work. She was a master of communication— the pregnant pause was just one of her specialties. It is with great trepidation that her nieces and nephews face the coming school year since their essay guru is no longer an easy phone call away. The same can be said for friends and colleagues past and present, who relied upon her to solve all sorts of professional and personal conundrums.

Although she was for the most part an open book, Sofia had a few secrets known only by a chosen few. For example,  she loved all kinds of music from opera to country. The 8-hour Miracle cream was her own "Greek Wedding Windex." She loved musicals and could quote "On A Clear Day" word for word. She gave blood as often as was possible and recruited others to follow her lead. She loved that a toy computer paired her with her brother-from-another-mother at a robust 93 point compatibility much to his wife’s (72 only) chagrin. Even though she hated reality TV, she loved watching trashy Lifetime movies and couldn't resist Keeping Up with the Kardashians (Khloe was her favorite). She was a talented photographer and a gifted coloring book artist. 
She was known for her eclectic taste in food, being both a gourmand and junk food junkie, equally loving oysters, goat cheese, dirty martinis with a whisper of vermouth, Hamburger Helper and Kraft Mac and Cheese. Those who ate with or cooked for her could be sure of a good audience, great conversation, and an honest assessment of the menu. She could sniff out cumin, basil or cilantro (all of which she hated with a passion) from 100 yards away and always kept her enormous personal salt shaker by her side. The ice-to-water ratio as well as the ice quality was of vital importance to the enjoyment of any meal. Sneaky hosts garnered her favor with gourmet ice which she always appreciated. She never met a Hostess product she could resist and generally disliked anything with nutritional value (although she did like kale and wished she had discovered it earlier in life). All these factors made her an interesting choice as her family's Weight Watchers sensei. However, it was her encyclopedic knowledge of the Point values of all foods and her uncanny ability to predict the weekly weight loss or gain of the participant that made her the obvious choice as life coach/weight-loss leader.

There are not enough words in the universe to describe a life well spent and her larger than life personality.

Sofia did not want to havea formal memorial service. One of her final requests was that her friends and family go out and enjoy a meal or stay in and cook the aforementioned Hamburger Helper. Either way, she would want stories to be told, a laugh shared, and that her life be toasted with something cold (don’t forget the ice). She will be there in spirit, and will be in the company of her loving parents and her aunts Mina and Maria.

  She will be missed daily by her sisters  Claudia (Alfredo), Alejandra (Dan), Mercedes (Ric), and her brothers Jose (Gina) and Ruheri (Lynn). She is survived by her daughterMercedes Sofia, husband Greg, and his children Kellie and Miles, whom she loved dearly as well as the whole Fiore-Caron clan who made her one of theirs.

Memorial donations may be made to the Mercedes Sofia Fiore college fund via Paypal msfiore04@gmail.com or by check to the Chase Bank in Hinsdale, Illinois in care of Mercedes Sofia Fiore.