Nereida Ruiz

Grandma Nereida was young at heart and always full of love. She loved to go on vacation and visit Disney World. She also loved decorating for Halloween and Christmas, and to be around family. She was the kind of person who would grab you by the hand and encourage you to dance with her. I had two left feet, and despite her efforts to show me to dance, I just did not have the rhythm. But her celebratory spirit was infectious nonetheless.
She was an adventurer at heart and was the pathfinder of the family. When she had something on her mind, she would get it done no matter what. She was determined to provide a better life for her family.
One story that was very profound to me was their first trip to Disney World as a family. After being married for some time and having two kids, she decided on a whim to enter the Budweiser sweepstakes.
Her husband was watching tv and he called excitedly, "Honey, you won the contest!", and she said "Nah.. quit joking and leave me be", again he said "No, seriously! You won the contest for Disney!" She could not believe his words, but after insisting that it wasn't a joke several more times, she finally exploded in joy. They were a part of the first 1 million visitors to go to Disney World in 1972, only two years after its official opening in Orlando, Florida. For many, it's a dream come true to win the lottery someday, so can you imagine the excitement of this young family when they learned that they won a free trip to Disney World?
Grandma was always in good spirits, a wanderer at heart, and always putting her family ahead of herself. She will be eternally in our hearts, and may she forever rest in peace.