Delia “Finita” Verdeja Soberón November 12, 1939 - January 30, 2023

Miami, Florida - Delia went home to her Lord and Savior surrounded by family after a valiant four-year battle against Parkinson’s disease. Married to Nildo “Sam” Verdeja for 62 years, she is survived by him and their three children, Neil (married to Yvette Mocega), Eddie (married to Becky Rodriguez) and Marie (married to Jim Wetzel), as well as her sister, Teresita (married to Carlos Curbelo Sr.). A devoted wife and loving mother, her presence is felt beyond her passing. Her nephew, Carlos Jr., and her grandchildren, Victoria, Megan, Amanda, Daniel, Tommy, Andrew and Alexandra, remember her for her unwavering love for life. “The prettiest girl in town,” as quoted by Sam, Delia was born in 1939 in Cárdenas, and raised in Mantanzas, Cuba. High school sweethearts, they married on March 4, 1961. The political turmoil in Cuba peaked just months later, and only three months after Sam and Delia wed, Delia exiled to the United States with Sam’s 18-month-old niece, Maria Luisita, in her care. Delia waited for Sam in Miami for fourteen long months until the government allowed him to leave the island. “Waited,” is a loose term, as she threatened several times that she would go back to Cuba if they didn’t let him out soon. She was relentlessly loyal to those she loved. This became even more apparent as she and Sam moved to Atlanta and back, trying to establish their footing in the States. In 1963, their first-born, Neil, was born in Atlanta. The birth of Marie followed in 1967, and Eddie, a bit later in 1975, both in Miami. The five of them, along with the abuelas, tíos and tías who raised them, were a unit created and fostered by Delia. Known and remembered for her always optimistic look at life, Delia exuded love. She reminded her grandchildren constantly to appreciate every ounce of love and life awarded to them. She joins her mother, Delia Bolaños, in Heaven, and she will be missed dearly by her family and friends who await their reunion.