Zoraida Cardona Ruiz, 87 of Omega passed away Thursday, January 16, 2003, at Tift Regional Medical Center. Her funeral service was held at 11:00 a.m. Monday, January 20, 2003, at Tifton's First Presbyterian Church with the Rev. Dr. David Uhl officiating. Mrs. Ruiz was laid to rest at Omega Cemetery.
Ralph Leonard, Joe Sheridan, Filiberto Hernandez, Antonio Cervantes, Andrew Mendieta and Frank Sides served as pallbearers.
Born May 15, 1915, ibn San Sebastian, Puerto Rico, Mrs. Ruiz was the daughter of the late Anacleto Cardona Garcia and Manuela Cardona Velez del Rosario. She was also preceded in death by her husband, Nicholas Ruiz, who passed away in 1999; and two brothers, George Cardona and Samuel Cardona. Before retiring, she owned and operated a retail shop; and she attended Iglesia Hispana De Omega, a ministry of the Mell Baptist Association. She was a Girl Scout volunteer; and she had lived in Omega since 1994, previously living in Brooklyn, New York and Port Monmouth, New Jersey.
Mrs. Ruiz is survived by one daughter and son-in-law Dalma R. and Lamar Dickens of Omega; one sister, Claudia Rosa of West Palm Beach, Florida; two grandsons, David Scott Eveland and Robert Nicholas Eveland, both of Reno, Nevada; one step-grandson, Brad Dickens of Bakersfield, California; two step great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews; and special friends, Beverly and Woody White of Port Monmouth, New Jersey.