Soledad Villanueva

Soledad was born in Santiago, Chile, to parents Arturo Villanueva Ilufi and mother, Aurora Leon Gutierrez, she already had an older sister, Veronica, who loved her from the moment she was born.  Soli and family moved back and forth between Santiago and New York City, until 1974, where the family moved permanently  to NYC with a younger sister in tow, Consuelo.

Soli attended the United Nations International School, and had an exciting international upbringing.  The family moved to Nairobi, Kenya, an experience that impacted her deeply, where she made lifelong friends at the International School of Kenya, she was still in touch with until her passing. 

Soli was fluent in Spanish, French and German. She received a Master’s in Education, and became a Spanish and elementary school teacher for many years, even spending some time as a teacher at UNIS. She loved all her students, and from a young age, loved helping children with disabilities and teaching children of all cultures. She cared deeply about the disadvantaged children in her classrooms in Brownsville, Elmhurst and Corona, and spent her own money and time providing them with extra tutorship, clothing, food and gifts for birthdays and Christmas. She had a special gift for teaching and her compassion for children was evident in her commitment to all her students.

Soli loved al animals, especially cats, was a history enthusiast, spending years learning about Austrian history, European history and learning about ancient cultures. Vienna was one of her favorite cities to visit. She was a creative, passionate person, with a keen sense of justice.  She had a passion for all kinds of music, especially The Cure, and NY punk rock and hard core, where she made a lot of friends that influenced her life. 

She is survived by her parents, Melania Aurora Leon Gutierrez and Arturo Osvaldo Villanueva Ilufi, her sister, Consuelo Villanueva Leon, her nephew Ariel Kelly-Villanueva, her boyfriend, Harry Cooper, her Aunts Maria Elena Villanueva and Monica Villanueva, and her brothers in law, Daniel Kelly and Mbambu Miller, her lifelong friend Anita Perero and dozens of cousins in Chile. She is preceded in death by her sister, Veronica Villanueva, her Uncles Juan Leon, Jaime Leon and Sergio Viaggio. She is also survived by countless friends in NY, Kenya, and all over the world. May she rest in eternal peace.

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