Lydia Matute, affectionately known to so many as "Momma" or "Tia", passed away on August 17, 2026, at the age of 69. Born in Puerto Rico and spending much of her life in New York before eventually making Florida home, Lydia leaves behind a family and community that will forever feel the space created by her absence.

To describe my mom simply as a loving person would almost feel like it isn't enough. She embodied what it meant to love. She loved people with her whole heart, without keeping score and without expecting anything in return other than love. She saw the good in people, welcomed them into her life, listened when they needed someone, and was always willing to help when she could.

My mom was, without a doubt, the absolute best mother I could have ever asked for. She was my protector, my biggest supporter, my listener, and one of the people who always pushed me to be better. Growing up, she surrounded me with love and positivity and taught me, simply by the way she lived, how to love people unconditionally. She was brave when I needed someone to protect me from the world and honest enough to tell me when I was wrong. That honesty was never meant to hurt; it came from the heart of someone who genuinely wanted the people she loved to be better.

And then there was her food....

If you knew Lydia, you knew you were probably going to eat. It didn't matter if you were hungry. Momma Lydia was going to offer you a plate anyway. She was one hell of a cook, and feeding people was one of the ways she showed love. Thanksgiving belonged to her. She would wake up at the crack of dawn with the biggest smile, putting love into every dish and making sure everyone she loved had a place at her table.

For my mom, food was never just food. It was how she brought people together.

She loved having family and friends around her, playing dominoes, talking about life, laughing, giving advice, and making memories. She loved dancing to Spanish music, taking vacations with the people she loved, finding a beautiful new beach, going on cruises, visiting new places, and experiencing life with the people who mattered most to her.

She was also a diva; and she wore that title proudly. She loved looking good, dressing up, having her French tips done, and bringing that little bit of sass everywhere she went. She could walk into a room and somehow become the center of it without even trying. She was funny, outgoing, engaging, and full of personality.

She was the light in the room.

Her love extended far beyond her immediate family. She adored her husband, Jorge, her son Jonathan, her daughter-in-law Alexandra, her niece Jennifer, her brothers and sisters, her nieces and nephews, and all of the family and friends who were always around her. And of course, her beloved fur grandbaby Zoey held a very special place in her heart.

There are so many people who could tell their own story about Lydia: A meal she cooked, A conversation they had with her, A joke she told, Advice she gave, A vacation they shared, A dominoes game, A family gathering, A moment when she simply showed up.

That is the beautiful thing about my mom; she left a little bit of herself with everyone she loved.

In her final moments, surrounded by the people she loved, I was blessed to be beside her with my dad. I got to talk to her, crack jokes with her, thank her for being the incredible mother she was, and tell her how much I loved her. She acknowledged both of us while we were beside her, and when I told her I loved her, she was able to blow me one final kiss.

That moment will stay with me for the rest of my life.

As painful as it is to lose her, I find comfort in knowing that my mom is no longer suffering. She gave everything she had to the people she loved, and now she can finally rest. My mother was a beautiful soul. She loved hard, laughed hard, fed everyone, spoke her mind, protected the people she loved, and never apologized for being exactly who she was.

I don't think any obituary could ever fully explain what she meant to me. She wasn't just my mother. She was home.

And although I will spend the rest of my life missing her, I will also spend it carrying everything she taught me; the way she loved, the way she cared, the way she brought people together, and the way she found joy in the people around her.

I love you, Mom. Until we meet again.

Your son,

Jonathan Matute