MARY MARGARET HALLORAN de VALBUENA

Mary Margaret Halloran de Valbuena died peacefully in her home surrounded by family, on Saturday, August 22, 2020, in Mount Dora, Florida.  She was 79 years old.  Mary was born on January 6, 1941 in Orange, New Jersey, to Martin and Margaret Halloran, who emigrated from Ireland to the United States.  She graduated from Mt. Saint Dominic Academy and attended nursing school at St. Joseph's Hospital School of Nursing.  She began working as a nurse at St. Joseph's in Patterson, New Jersey, where she met her husband, Julio Enrique Valbuena.  She and Julio were married on January 26, 1963, and they were blessed with a large and loving family.

The couple lived in the Boston, Massachusetts area for approximately three years, and their two oldest children, Martin Enrique and Michael Andrew, were born there.  Over the next six years, they lived in Mystic, Connecticut and Bogota, Colombia, and during that time their next two children, Pamela Ines and Keith Julio, were born.  The family moved to Mount Dora in the summer of 1971 and purchased their home on Lake Gertrude.  Their fifth child, Sandra Marie, was born in Winter Park in 1973.  They raised all five children in that home, where they have lived for forty-nine years.

Julio opened his private orthopedic practice in 1971, and Mary worked as his surgical operating nurse and office manager.  They worked together from 1975 until 2000, when they retired.  Mary did an amazing job balancing being a mother and wife with running the office.  Her children and husband were always her primary focus, especially the children's education and extracurricular activities.  The family was a founding member of the parish of St. Patrick's Catholic Church, and over the last almost fifty years, the family has attended Mass there weekly and more recently, Julio and Mary have attended daily.

Mary was named a Legend of Lake County for her volunteer work with Women for Hospice, which she was involved with for more than thirty years.  Mary loved to knit, sew, and cook, and she cherished passing those skills on to her children and grandchildren.  She designed and made each of her grandchildren's beautiful heirloom christening gowns.  Mary loved sports and following her favorite teams, but there was no doubt that her absolute favorite activity was watching her children and grandchildren compete in swimming, soccer, dance, baseball, volleyball, triathlon, basketball, and track.

Mary is survived by her husband, Julio, of fifty-seven years, and her five children: Martin Enrique (Jennifer)(Hiram, Georgia), Michael Andrew (Karen)(Vancouver, Washington), Pamela Ines (Judd)(Altamonte Springs, Florida), Keith Julio (Hannah)(Charlotte, North Carolina), and Sandra Marie (Matthew)(Greensboro, North Carolina).  She is also survived by her fourteen grandchildren: Kiersten (27)(Andrew), Noah (23), Andrew (21), Claudia (21), Kitty (20), Jack (20), Sydney (19), Ethan (18), Finn (18), Katherine (18), Penny (15), Brinn (12), Ryan (9), and Sampson (4).  She is also survived by her sister, Patricia, and numerous nephews and nieces.  She was preceded in death by her parents, Martin and Margaret Halloran and her brother, Martin Halloran, Jr.