Philanthropist, member of NSU board of trustees
Community leader and tireless advocate of the arts, culture and education, Silvia Flores was a four-decade resident of Fort Lauderdale who spent the past 11 years as a devoted member of the board of trustees at Nova Southeastern University.
Flores, 68, died Oct. 26 after suffering sudden cardiac arrest, her family said.
Among her many leadership roles, Flores served as president of the Opera Society, the Philharmonic Society and the Broward International Women’s Club and was involved with the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival and the United Way of Broward County, among other philanthropic and community endeavors.
Through the women’s club, Flores helped provide scholarships to international students looking to finish their studies in the United States and for American students to complete their studies abroad under the umbrella of Nova.
“Silvia was a leader in everything she did,” Nova’s President George Hanbury said. “I think she was quite a lady, truly a lady of all seasons.”
Flores had a standout smile — “it was always kind of a challenging smile, a devilish smile, a twinkle in her eye” — solid opinions and a flair for debate, Hanbury said.
“She's always been an individual to not hesitate to give her opinion but to debate respectfully and to be able to do so, so that the opposing party would never feel threatened but would feel convinced,” Hanbury said. “And I think she did it beautifully.”
Flores was born in Mexico City where she earned a medical degree and met her future husband, Dr. Jorge Arturo Flores. Together they settled in Fort Lauderdale in 1977 where, instead of practicing medicine, she opted for a life of service, philanthropy and promotion of the arts, her husband said.
A lover of opera and the ocean, summertime and skiing, bicycling, golf with friends and family meals, Flores was ever the optimist with a fluid ability to put others at ease.
“We used to say she was ‘pequena pero potente,’ which means small but potent,” Flores’ son, Ian Carlo Flores, 38, said. “My mom was a force. She was always moving. There was nothing passive about her.”
Flores is survived by her husband, their three sons, Ian, Jorge Arturo Flores Jr., 42, (Katherine Maia Flores), and Alberto Paolo Flores, 37, (Yuqiao Flores), as well as two grandchildren.
A funeral Mass will be held today at 10:30 a.m. at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 4595 Bayview Drive, Fort Lauderdale.
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