Lucia de Sernik Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Lucia de Sernik, 91, of Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, passed away Sunday, May 29, at her home. She was a beloved and feisty mother of two, grandmother of four and great-grandmother of five. Born in Warsaw in 1930, Lucia emigrated to Colombia as a young girl. She married a tanner and fellow immigrant, Gustavo Sernik, in 1954, and went on to study bacteriology at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogota, where she in 1966 became one of the first Jewish women to graduate from a Colombian university. Two children — Abraham and Fanny Sernik — were raised in Bogota before Lucia and Gustavo retired to Florida in 1984. Known as “Gaga” to her grandchildren and plenty of other people besides, Lucia was a devoted grandparent and stabilizing presence in her grandchildrens’ lives. She enjoyed reading, keeping abreast of current events and soccer. A fan of the Bogota team Santa Fe, she kept fit by walking up 18 flights of stairs to her home in Winston Towers. She enjoyed meals with her family at Wolfie Cohen’s Rascal House and Thai House II, and keeping her extended brood in line. She is survived by Abraham and Fanny; her grandchildren Becky, Ari, Sharona and Margie; and great-grandchildren Yitti, Eidel, Goldie, Tehila and Leo Zion. Gustavo, with whom she spent 53 happy years, passed in 2006. Arrangements by Levitt-Weinstein Blasberg-Rubin-Zilbert Memorial Chapel (305) 9832-2700

Lucia de Sernik

September 1, 1930 - May 29, 2022