Rebeca A. Gavilondo, 81, of Cazenovia, formerly of Tamarac, FL, passed away Friday, Aug. 18, 2023, at Crouse Community Center in Morrisville. She was born May 26, 1942, in Havana, Cuba. In the mid-1950s, Rebeca moved to the U.S. with her mother and stepfather, Manuel Pedrozo, for Manuel to complete his medical residencies.
She lived in Knoxville, TN, and Wheeling, WV, for some time, and her southern-accented Spanish baffled and delighted friends when she visited Cuba on vacations.
She met her husband, Alfredo Jorge Gavilondo, in 1957 at the Casino Español on one such vacation and he was spellbound–they married in the summer of 1958.
Alfredo and Rebeca emigrated to the United States in 1965 to find a better life for themselves and their two young sons. They moved to Kidron, Ohio, to be near her parents and soon moved to Cleveland, where Rebeca stayed home with the boys and took bookkeeping classes at night.
The family moved to South Florida in 1972, where Rebeca had a long and successful career as a bookkeeper. In addition to keeping the numbers straight for her clients and her family, Rebeca made time to be a Cub Scout den mother, a football team mother and attend her boys many sporting events. She was the center around which immediate and extended family life revolved.
Rebeca and Alfredo moved to Cazenovia in 2015 to escape the Florida heat and be close to their son and his family. Although leaving family and friends in Florida was hard, Rebeca made several dear friends in her time in Cazenovia, and their friendship was a significant comfort to her.
Rebeca is survived by her son, Carlos (Jennifer) Gavilondo of Cazenovia; her grandchildren, Shana, Shaun, Sierra, Julia and Daniel Gavilondo, her sister, Estrella, her brothers Frank, Raul and Camilo, and her stepmother, Estrella. Alfredo, her husband of 62 years, died in 2020. Rebeca also was predeceased by her parents, stepfather and by her son, Alfredo.
The Gavilondo family wishes to thank the nurses and staff at Crouse Community Center, and particularly those in the C-D units, for the excellent care and compassion provided to Rebeca.
Details of a service have not yet been determined. Contributions in Rebeca’s memory may be made to Crouse Community Center, 101 South Street, Morrisville, NY 13408, or crousecommunity.com. To leave a message of sympathy for the Gavilondo family, please visit michaelebrownfuneralservices.com.
