Rebecca Perez touched the lives of many with her lively spirit, sharp wit and great capacity to love. She passed away peacefully on Dec. 15, 2016, at Orlando Regional Medical Center. She was 83.

She was born on April 18, 1933 in New York City. Her parents and five siblings had moved from Puerto Rico to New York in 1929. Her father, Antonio Perez, who was born in Spain, worked cleaning subway motors. Her mother, Maria Luisa Garced, was a seamstress. They were members of the Iglesia del Valle, Assemblies of God church in the South Bronx. Rebecca grew up in a Spanish-speaking church and she was fully bilingual.  In 1955, she married a young and handsome college student, Jorge Luis Ramirez, who had recently joined the Army. As a young bride, she traveled by herself  to be with her husband who was stationed in Fairbanks, Alaska. She returned to New York a year later to give birth to her first daughter. She later had two more daughters and in 1968, she moved to Puerto Rico with her family. She was active in her congregation, Christian Church Disciples of Christ, and was a mentor to youth there. Many were underprivileged youngsters who found in Rebecca encouragement and upport. Rebecca's husband died in August 2014 and a year later she moved to Clermont, Florida, with her youngest daughter and son-in-law. She joined the First United Methodist Church of Clermont, where she made new friends and found a new faith family.

About a decade before she died, Rebecca started to lose her vision. Over the years, she had five corneal transplants at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, and she was deeply grateful to her doctors and other medical personnel, especially her corneal specialist Dr. Eduardo Alfonso, who helped to keep her from going blind. Toward the end of her life, even though Rebecca's eyesight was failing, she kept a positive attitude and a fighting spirit. She was an inspiration to everyone who knew her.

She loved to sing, especially in her church in Puerto Rico, where she was often a featured soloist during service.  She also sang to entertain family and friends. She once sang for a man who was dying of cancer and brought him great comfort.

Rebecca is survived by her daughters, Deborah, Elizabeth and Marietta Ramirez, her son-in-laws Julio Cestero and Roberto Cipreni, her grandchildren, Roberto Luis Cipreni, Noelia Cipreni, Andres Cipreni and Rebecca Alkis.

There are no words to describe how much we miss her and how big a hole she leaves in our hearts. We are comforted by what she taught us, foremost to love and trust the Lord and to love and respect our fellow human beings.

Becker Funeral Home is handling arrangements for the family and a short visitation will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday morning (Dec. 21), followed by a graveside service at Florida National Cemetery in Busnell at 1 p.m.

The Family request that in lieu of flowers donations be sent to the Florida Lions Eye Bank at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, 900 NW 17th St, Miami, FL 33136 or online at www.lionseyeinstitute.org/the-foundation/individual-donations