Ramona O. de Alsace

Monina's Story

(…as told by her children)

Ramona Olimpia Camacho de Alsace was born in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic on May 19th, 1929. Her mother, Olimpia David de Camacho, was from El Seybo, the daughter of renowned Dominican General, Deogracias Linares. Her father, Jose Monserrate Camacho Torres was a native of Yauco, Puerto Rico. At the time of her birth Ramona had two older brothers, Rafael (nicknamed Fellito) and Miguel. When Ramona, called Monina by her loved ones, was just a year old the family moved to Ponce, Puerto Rico, where her younger sister, Digna was born and where they settled for the next several years. They had planned to stay there permanently but returned to the Dominican Republic because Fellito, who was Olimpia's son from a previous marriage, was not allowed by his birth father to join them in Puerto Rico.

Following their return to the Dominican Republic, the family experienced the tragic death of Fellito and soon Jose Monserrate, wanting to return to Puerto Rico, abandoned the family, taking Miguel with him. Life for a single mother raising two girls alone in 1940s and 50s Dominican Republic was filled with danger and hardship. Monina remembers how her mother worked herself ragged and sacrificed everything to provide for them. She would send her daughters to relatives in the country during their summer recess so that they could eat well and gain strength. They experienced hunger and uncertainty, yet always knew they were loved. Their mother instilled pride and strong values in them. She would tell them that they may currently be poor, but to never forget that they were from a good family – that they were respected and respectable - that they may not have many clothes but that they would always be clean – and that they must study and get good grades to make a better life in the future. Abuela Olimpia fiercely guarded the virtue and respect of her daughters – escorting them to parties and sending them to bed early whenever and however she saw fit.

Olimpia and the girls moved to the capital, Santo Domingo, when the girls were in their teens. Monina found work in an import/export company and started to notice a young man who passed her by each day as she walked to and from work. The young man, Juan Arturo Alsace Pacheco, had certainly noticed her and eventually asked if he could walk with her. They talked and talked and learned about each other on those daily walks. The friendship turned to romance and eventually he asked her mother's permission to call on her. The romance blossomed and after just a few months of courtship, he asked for her hand in marriage and they were wed on May 24, 1952.

Marriage for a rather spoiled young man born into privilege and a strong willed, independent young woman in 1950's Santo Domingo definitely had its ups and downs. Dominican society at the time was very machista. Monina, a somewhat traditional woman. while at the same time being a woman who demanded fairness and equity, was not going to sit quietly by and accept the double standards and docile role imposed on women. The birth of their first child in 1953, a daughter named Mayda Elena, reaffirmed the need for what today we like to call a "paradigm shift". Couple this all with the economic pressures imposed by the lack of opportunities and the social and political pressures of being secretly anti-Trujillista under the Trujillo regime, and for Monina there was only one solution – leave the country and make a new life in the United States. She insisted and eventually Juan agreed. The decision to leave everything behind and venture into the unknown was difficult, but she did it for the good of the family.

Although Monina's father had left them with almost nothing, there was one thing he had unwittingly left his daughters – birthright U.S. citizenship. Because of this, Monina would be allowed to leave the DR despite Trujillo's prohibition on emigration for Dominican citizens. Once in the U.S., Ramona would sponsor Juan and Mayda to follow her out of DR and into a new life in New York. Leaving her one-year-old daughter, listening to Mayda's cries as she left her behind, is something that haunted Monina the rest of her life. She recounted how difficult that year was - making a life in New York alone and finding suitable work while speaking little English and having limited work experience was almost unbearable, longing to be with her husband and little girl was painful - but she did it for the good of the family.

Finally reunited a year later, both Monina and Juan struggled in New York for the next several years. They struggled through many failed job interviews and brief stints at workplaces for which they were unsuited. They struggled with providing for a growing family, as Monina soon discovered she was expecting their second child – Juan Arturo – born in 1957. Finding life in NYC to be harsh and unforgiving, the couple was easily convinced by Monina's brother Miguel, who had been living and working in a smaller city on the banks of Lake Erie in Western New York, to go west and try calling Buffalo home. Miguel was sure that Buffalo was a better place to raise a family and prosper. Once again, faced with difficult decisions, Monina chose to do what she believed was best for the family and they packed up and moved to Buffalo.

In the Queen City, the Alsaces made a life. Not an easy life, but one filled with love. Here they added to their growing family – a daughter, Tamara Olimpia was born in 1960 and their youngest, Rafael Camilo came along in 1963. Monina and Juan worked hard and set an example for their children. They valued literacy and education, hard work and family unity. They instilled in their children a love of learning, an interest in history, literature, arts, and music, and curiosity about the world. Money was always tight but they made sure the children didn't go hungry and that their clothes were always clean. They took them on long rides to explore Western New York and together enjoyed picnics and outings. They moved every few years to better neighborhoods with more opportunities. The children attended good schools. Monina volunteered for the PTA, church BINGO, and delivered meals to shut-ins through Meals on Wheels. Although her main occupation was as a homemaker, whenever times got tough Monina would take on part time or full time work outside the home – from making cutlery handles at Fibron products where a work accident resulted in almost losing a finger – to working at Twin Fair, Mentholatum, Cadet Cleaners, and other local businesses (including Klein's market on Fillmore where she was held up at gunpoint by the notorious "chewing gum bandit"), Monina did whatever it took to make sure the family had what it needed. She rarely spent money on things for herself, focusing completely on making sure her children didn't want for anything and always thinking of the good of the family.

The hard work and sacrifice paid off, as she always liked to say. She and Juan raised four successful children - two attorneys (one of whom became a distinguished diplomat in the U.S. foreign service) one educator who received her PhD, and one who distinguished himself in the military and in private industry.

In 1982, a terrible tragedy struck the family when Mayda Elena, their oldest child, was tragically taken in a freak accident. She had just passed the NYS bar exam and was sure to make a name as a defender of justice and equity. This tragic event changed all the family members' lives forever but never changed Monina's dedication to her family, in fact it strengthened and deepened it. She spent the years since giving, doing for, and loving her family. She helped raise several of her grandchildren, babysitting on demand and even moving to be closer and help out as her children's families grew and changed.

In 2014, after 62 years of marriage, Monina lost her beloved husband Juan and despite the pain of that loss, she has continued to be the rock upon which her family stands. Despite hardship and pain that could make a lesser person bitter and resentful, Monina always modeled gratitude and acceptance. She was a person who valued all that was good in her life and who through her faith in God learned to accept the trials that came her way. She found joy in the little things – a ride in the car, a game of rummy, preparing her famous pastelitos, habichuelas, harinita, and seeing her family enjoy them. She also loved to travel and treasured her journeys to Barcelona, Mexico, California, Milwaukee, Canada, Florida and Puerto Rico.

We tell this long story because these are some of the experiences that shaped this woman and have thus shaped many of us who knew and loved her. This lovely woman whom we call by many names - she was Mami to Juan and Nancy; Tamara and Gary; Ralph and Christine and the late Mayda Alsace. Demetrius (and his wife Jessica), Mayda (partner Anders), Renee (husband Max), John (wife Santana), Andrew (wife Shannon), Madelyn, Lianna, all lovingly called her Abuela, as do the next generation – her great grandchildren McKenzie, Abel, Aria, Stella, Vaeda, Cameron, and Conan. There is another great-grand on the way whom Ramona will never meet but who will carry her legacy forward. A host of extended family and friends call Monina Abuela and Tía, or Doña Monina, and they came from around the country to celebrate her milestone 90th birthday with her in 2019. Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown proclaimed May 24, 2019, the day of her birthday celebration, Ramona Olimpia Camacho de Alsace Day in Buffalo,New York! She is not a celebrity and has not received awards and commendations, but she has done the work that is most important and most lasting. She lived well for 96 years and has raised a family and created a legacy of love that will endure even though she is no longer physically here with us. This woman is so deeply loved by all.

Mami te queremos muchísimo y te damos gracias infinitas por todo lo que has hecho y lo que has sido para nosotros - una mujer, esposa, madre, abuela, hermana, tía, y amiga ejemplar. Dios te bendiga siempre, y que en paz descanses.