Olga Losoya Suarez

Olga Losoya Suarez, 75, a longtime resident of Houston but an Ohio Buckeye at heart, has left this world to join the choir of angels in Heaven. She took her last breath and passed away peacefully in her sleep on Friday, August 28, 2015 at 8:40 p.m., thus ending her battle with cancer.

The oldest of seven, Olga was born on September 8, 1939 in Robstown, Texas to Severiano E. and Juanita Quiroga Losoya. Beginning her life in a shoebox, swaddled in blankets by the stove due to her prematurity, she proved the doctors wrong and not only survived but thrived that first month of life. A jubilant, compassionate, and strong-minded child, Olga was destined for anything but ordinary. She would prove time and time again to not only persevere but excel at whatever life’s tribulations were thrown her way. Her oldest memories were of the family traveling back and forth between Texas and Ohio; following the harvests. The child of poor but proud migrant workers, Olga dreamed of better. Knowing at a young age the importance and value of an education, she demanded and fought to go to school. Always a top student, Olga graduated near the top of her class from Whitney Vocational School in 1959, majoring in business. After years of dedicated business expertise and community involvement in the Toledo area, she was asked to conduct classes on import/export at the University of Toledo’s Continuing Education. Olga would later go back to school while in her fifties and graduated with her Bachelor of Applied Science Degree in Electronics and Engineering Technology, when she was 62 years old in March 2002. “There is no such thing as being too educated or too kind,” Olga would tell her children, grand-children, and great-grand children.

At a dance that she had no intentions of attending, she met a dashing young Army veteran, Rodolfo Vela Lopez, who would go on say that “When I first saw her across the room, she made me feel like I was dreaming because of her smile and the way her eyes sparkled. She didn’t look real.” Toledo, Ohio in August 1959, they would go on to marry and have 4 beautiful children. Olga Linda, Ruby Ann, Rose Marie, and Rodolfo (Rudy) Lopez, Jr. brought Olga to a new frontier, motherhood. Her children became her life force and there was nothing that she would not do for them. Though her marriage with Rodolfo did not work out, God had special plans for her when he sent Honario Jaimes Suarez her way.

Their shared love of dancing would bring these two together for the first time, meeting and falling in love at La Caverna. “Hey, you want to dance with me?” “No!” That was their first interaction. Honario was determined to dance with this beautiful woman that his eyes and heart were drawn to. He remained persistent not giving this chance up, asking throughout the night, even after a few more stings of rejection, until the answer was yes… finally! “After that, we were stuck like glue- Crazy glue!” She was able to find love again and remarried on September 4,1991 in Houston, Texas. They would have been celebrating their 24th wedding anniversary this Friday.

Olga was a member of several organizations. She was a Charter Officer including Secretary and Vice President and twice President of the Toledo Area International Trade Association (TAITA), she was a Charter Officer including Secretary, Vice President and President for the National Defense Transportation Association (NDTA), and she was a Charter Officer including Secretary, Vice President and President of the Women Business Owners Association. Olga was a Board Member for the following, Zonta International Business Association, Channel 30 PB and Maumee Valley Girl Scout Council and served on the Board of Trustees for the Lucas County Welfare Department. She was also a member of the Toledo Area Chamber of Commerce and the Toledo Transportation Association.

Some of the awards and special recognitions bestowed upon her include over thirty years in sales, customer service, Import and Export Industry and Ocean Transportation. Olga was bi-lingual and conversant in both Spanish and English; she was invited and attended two White House Presidential Dinners, met President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan as well as George H. W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush. She was awarded a “Points of Light Award” by George H.W. Bush for the Points of Light Foundation in the initial year they were allocated.

She would be the first to tell you that despite the many professional accolades her true passion in life was international travel and collecting stamps on her passport, which was her lifelong dream. Olga was charitable, religious and political. A devout Catholic and active parishioner at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. She had many hobbies including gardening, bird watching, reading but most of all enjoying and spending time with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Olga was preceded in death by her brother Rene Losoya; father Guadalupe Betancourt, Sr.; Lorensa Jaimes Suarez and Masedonio Santo; her grandson-in-law Sgt. Art Mora (KIA Iraq); and beloved family pets Laddie and Snowball. She is survived by her soul’s counterpart and true love, Honario Jaimes Suarez; her children, Olga Linda Lopez (John Court), Ruby Lopez, Rose Marie Lopez (Peter Tovar), and Rudy Lopez(Melinda); her grandchildren, Veronica Mora (Robert Reyes), Vanessa Garcia, Velina Garcia (Micha Cormier), Jorge Cruz Salazar, Jr.(Sabbrina), Spc. Julio Cesar Salazar (Sylvia Young), Alex Tovar, Cristina Tovar, David Tovar, Joshua Lopez and coming soon Marisa Eve Lopez; her great-grandchildren, Olivia Cardell, Celina Mora, Christopher “Topher” Mora, Sofia Reyes, Nicholas Reyes, Alecia Phillips, Dorian “DJ” Johnson, Jr, Trinodad “Trino” Johnson, Angelina Cormier, Isabella Cormier, Vidal Salazar, Natalia Salazar, Katrina Salazar, Aryanna Salazar, Luis O’Farrill and Mia O’Farrill and Javier “Javi” Salazar; her parents, Severiano Losoya, Sr. and Juanita Quiroga; her grandparents, Guillermo Quiroga and Carmen Trevino Quiroga; her siblings, Armando Losoya and wife Helen, Severiano “Sev” Losoya, Jr. and wife Katherine, Guadalupe “Lupito” Betancourt, Jr. and wife Lupita, Gloria Ray and husband Dennis, Richard Betancourt and wife Donna, Ellie O’Conner and husband Dennis “Doc”, Dennis Betancourt and wife Dawn; and her sister-in-law, Adela Losoya Kroh and husband Don; her very dear friends, Armando and Ana De Luna & Reymundo and Debbie Lopez; as well as countless other loving relatives and friends.

Honoring the family and serving as pallbearers are Rudy Lopez, Jr, Jorge Cruz Salazar, Jr., Spc. Julio Salazar, Veronica Mora, Alex Tovar, David Tovar and Cristina Tovar. Honorary pallbearers are John Court, Peter Tovar and Joe Lewis.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Olga’s honor to the following organizations: American Cancer Society, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital or TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors).

To sum up Olga’s life, a quote from her favorite book by Richard Bach, “Jonathan Livingston Seagull,”

“…but now we have a reason to live – to learn, to discover, to be free”