Obituary

Yolanda de la Cruz Crespo Estrada Hernandez Romero Ponce, 71, resident of Midlothian, VA, went home to be with her mother and father on Thursday, September 12, 2024.  She was born on May 3, 1953, in Camagüey, Cuba, to the late Jorge and Georgina Estrada.

 She is survived by her beloved husband of 53 years, Juan Crespo; daughters, Irella Lawless (Michael) and Cristie Simpson (Sonny); son, John Crespo-Dowd (Marcus); granddaughters, Zoe and Sydney Keehnle, Patricia Simpson; grandsons, Michael Lawless Jr., John and Ingram Simpson; great-granddaughter, Lyla Payne; sister, Xiomara Franjul; niece, Michelle Lin; nephew, Rafael Franjul; great-niece, Ashley Romero, great-nephew, Tyler Romero, great-grandnephew, Aiden Romero, her perrito, Pepper, and countless others who knew and loved her as “Mami.”

Mami was a force of nature and a kind, brave, beautiful soul. With nerves of steel and a heart of gold, she dedicated her life to nurturing her family with unconditional love and befriending any stranger with her compassion, quick-witted sense of humor, and genuine warmth. A legendary and intuitively talented cook, she never let anyone that walked in her door go hungry or leave with nowhere to go. Always the life of any party, her laughter lit up the room and brought people together. Whether it was expertly dancing salsa with her husband or telling dirty jokes, love and laughter are her enduring legacy. Mami  never flinched at the many sacrifices made along the way, her gentle hands spinning straw into gold to provide if necessary. She was a champion of the underdog and fought for her loved ones fiercely. 

Our family wishes to acknowledge the immense kindness and grace shown to us by the doctors and nurses at Chippenham Hospital. We are so grateful for the medical trauma unit nursing staff (with an especially big thank you to Stacey, Shelby, and Terry) for bringing a warm light to our darkest of times.  

A graveside funeral service will be held on Tuesday, September 17, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. at Westhampton Memorial & Cremation Park, 10000 Patterson Ave, Richmond, VA 23238. Flowers may be sent to Morrissett Life Celebration Home at 6500 Iron Bridge Road, North Chesterfield, VA 23234.