Obituary of Ana C. Albertorio-Parrilla
October 3, 2021
Ana C. Albertorio-Parrilla passed away peacefully at home on October 3rd, 2021, at the age of 93. Born in Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico, and raised in Juana Diaz, Ana was the eldest of Gerardo Albertorio Santos' and Marcelina Miranda Zayas' 10 children. She graduated from Ponce High School in Puerto Rico and arrived in New York City in 1949 to join her parents and siblings --part of the massive Puerto Rican migration to NYC after WW II. Her first job was in a factory and in 1953 she went on to become an Occupational Therapy Assistant at Bird S. Coler Hospital, teaching the disabled basic self-care and living skills. This job would prove decisive for her later union activism and she would eventually become a labor union representative for District Council 37 in the early 1970s and a Social Worker in the 1980s.
A firm believer in education, Ana received her Occupational Therapist Assistant certificate in 1967 from NYC Medical College and a certificate in Labor Relations from Cornell University School of Industrial Relations and Labor Studies. She earned her Associate in Arts degree from Manhattan Community College and her Bachelor of Science degree from Empire State College at age 52 in 1980.
A Chelsea resident for over 50 years, Ana was an active member of the Chelsea Democratic Party, serving the community as District Leader in the 1980s. She also supported and volunteered for the National Organization for Women (N.O.W.) and was invited to the White House to participate in the National Conference of Puerto Rican Women, where she met President Gerald Ford. Her name was placed on the Wall of Tolerance recognized by Rosa Parks as a Founding Member of the National Campaign for Tolerance. She was a dedicated member of the volunteer Auxiliary Police in her neighborhood.
Ana was proudly Boricua and engaged in numerous social and cultural activities in the Puerto Rican community. But interestingly, in the 1950s and early 60s, she also participated in the Mutualista Mexicana's folk dances, even performing with her sons for hospital patients.
Ana enjoyed dancing, family reunions, and traveling to Puerto Rico and Mexico. A loving and giving soul, she was always ready to support and care for family members and friends. Shortly after her retirement, she expanded her family by adopting her brother's child, who was at risk of being lost in the foster care system, and thereafter went on to adopt still another child.
Ana is survived by her 5 children, Benjamin, Max, Lianna, Lee, Amalia; 7 grandchildren, William, Emily, Juliana, Lourdes, Andrew, Matthew, and Maya; 7 greatgrandchildren, Jacob, Joshua, Viola, Hadley, Juniper, Ramona and Emerson; and her four siblings, Ramona, Brunilda (Cookie), Israel (Dino) and Angie. She was preceded in death by her sisters Margarita, Inocencia, Elsa, Marta, her brother Gerardo, her first husband Benjamin Parra and her second husband Louis Parrilla.
Flowers may be sent to Crestwood Funeral Home:
www.crestwoodcremationfuneral.com
445 W. 43rd St.
NY, NY 10036
In lieu of flowers, a donation in memory of Ana's name can be made at:
www.hirf.net
Healey International Relief Foundation
573 Eayrestown Road
Lumberton, New Jersey 08048
Funeral Services
Visitation
October 9, 2021
10:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Crestwood Funeral Home
445 West 43rd Street
New York, NY 10036
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