Cecilia M. Duquela Fuentes, 49, of Columbia, MD, passed away on Monday, June 10 2019. She was born on September 13, 1969 in San Juan, Puerto Rico and was the daughter of Dr. Juan Luis Duquela and Cecilia Fuentes. Cecilia is survived by her husband Robert Luis Romero, their son Liam, her stepchildren Daniel, Tony and Sarah, her parents, her siblings Liza Maria Lynch and Juan Luis Duquela Fuentes, the Fuentes family, and the Alba family. She is also survived by her friends at the Office of Juvenile Justice, the Nurturing Nest community, and the community of St. John’s Parish Day School, who provided invaluable support, kindness and compassion during her five year-long battle with ovarian cancer.
Cecilia was a woman of extraordinary dignity, grace, strength and courage. She stood above many others in terms of her sense of integrity and justice. She was an award-winning Program Manager at the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) in the U.S. Department of Justice, but never sought accolades for her achievements. She dedicated her life to securing better services for children at risk of harm and better protections for communities and families facing injustice. She worked on all facets of child protection, including the creation, development and implementation of the AMBER Alert program, and was instrumental in developing the partnership between the U.S. and Mexico on cross-border abductions.
Cecilia leaves behind a legacy of kindness, generosity and love.
In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes friends to donate to social or environmental causes of their choosing.
A Celebration of Life will take place on Saturday, June 29 from 12:00PM to 2:00PM at The Meeting House at Oakland Mills Interfaith Center, 5885 Robert Oliver Place, Columbia, MD.
Please feel free to post your memories of Cecilia.
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