Obituary of Lourdes Soares De Castro

Lourdes Soares de Castro, 81, passed away from heart failure on the evening of Monday, October 19, 2015 in her home in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Lourdes was born on May 2, 1934 in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, daughter of Aracy Soares and Inicio Alves de Castro. She is survived by her son, Cassio Castro de Miranda, her daughter, Cassia Castro de Miranda, her granddaughter, Noelle Maxime Miranda and Lourdes' siblings, Jesus Barim de Souza, Aguiar Barim de Souza, Neire Jonhson, Fatima Barim de Souza, Nedir Barim de Souza, Jania Barim de Souza and Mauricio Barim de Souza, many nieces, nephews, cousins, and her dear friends. Lourdes and her older brother, Arinos Soares de Castro, grew up in Campo Grande and Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul. They also lived in a small town called Maracaju for a while. When her daughter Cassia was approximately 10 years old, she and Lourdes were living in Dourados and they took a trip to Maracaju. To Lourdes' surprise, during a walk through the town, Lourdes recognized the house where she lived as a kid. Lourdes and Cassia approached the house with caution as they did not know if there was someone living there. Surprisingly, the house was vacant and it seemed to have been abandoned for many years. Lourdes and Cassia were able to enter the house through a back door that was unlocked. This was an amazing experience for both Lourdes and Cassia as Lourdes recalled her childhood in that house. Lourdes had very fond memories of her time living there with her Mom, Stepfather and older brother. She told Cassia that they even had their own cow in the backyard from which they would get fresh milk every morning. The house was simple but comfortable and it was surrounded by trees on a calm street in Maracaju with a stream of water running in the backyard. Although Lourdes has only one brother from her parents union, she has many brothers and sisters from her father's previous marriages and her mom's second marriage. Lourdes lost her father at a very young age. She was only 3 years old when he passed away. After a few years, Lourdes' mother remarried a wonderful man called Aguiar Ferreira de Souza whom she admired and considered as a father figure. She often referred to him as the only father she ever knew. After finishing high school in Dourados, Lourdes went to Cuiaba, in the northern part of the state. There, she went to nursing school where she participated in many vaccine campaigns against tropical diseases such as yellow fever and malaria. Later, Lourdes moved to Sao Paulo to continue her studies and to work as a radiology nurse. She worked in many hospitals in Sao Paulo through the years. There, Lourdes became very close to her siblings from her father's previous marriages and one of her step-father's brothers, "Seu Agnelo" or Tio Nelo as Cassio and Cassia used to call him. Lourdes also lived briefly with her brother Arinos Soares de Castro in Recife, Pernambuco while he was serving in the Brazilian Air Force. She also had very fond memories from her time in Recife. As a young woman, Lourdes enjoyed, painting, music, dancing, films and horseback riding. She took art and music classes and learned a bit of German. More recently, she became fond of photography and after some struggle, mastered the use of social media to become an active follower and supporter of causes that she cared most such as the Wounded Warrior project and Pope Francis visits and teachings. Lourdes loved the United States and lived in many places since the late 80's. She lived in Washington (DC), Virginia, Florida and Nevada. She particularly enjoyed her recent time living by the beach in Ormond, Florida where she watched the sunrise every day and the moon reflecting on the ocean at night. In the late 70's and early 80's, after her divorce, Lourdes became increasingly interested in yoga and Far East philosophies. She was also feeling very exhausted from the many years of hospital shifts and crazy schedules, so she moved back to her home state and started teaching yoga in her own school. Although Lourdes eventually stopped teaching yoga, it was a constant presence in her life and its philosophy permeated her life until the very end. Lourdes was often referred to as the "life of a party". She enjoyed music, dancing, eating and drinking. She also enjoyed nature, animals and her extensive and diverse hat collection. She also loved her plants and flowers. They would bloom under her care and she was known for her beautiful arrangements to celebrate and welcome each season. She loved her children and granddaughter and she will be always missed by her family and friends. Lourdes often said: "I was born to appreciate beauty. My eyes and my soul are drawn to everything beautiful". Whether it was a flower, a place, or a song, Lourdes would experience it in a full-hearted way. Saudades para sempre! Lourdes' life will be celebrated with a mass on Tuesday, October 27, 2015 at 10:00 am (PST) at her favorite church in Las Vegas, St. Joseph, Husband of Mary on 7260 West Sahara Ave. Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, 89117. Fulfilling her wishes, her remains will be cremated and her ashes will be scattered in the ocean so Lourdes can continue her journey in the universe.