Mrs. Sara Vera

Obituary

Wherever she lived—from Peru, to the Dominican Republic, to Canada—Sara brought joy to her family, friends, and community through her love of cooking, her passion for music and dance, and the heartfelt stories she shared about growing up in Lima’s working class neighborhood of Barrios Altos. “We were poor but happy,” she’d often say.

 Sara’s courage and intelligence made her a pioneer. She was the first in her family to obtain a college degree—a double doctorate in law and economics from la Universidad de San Marcos, the oldest university in the Americas. Then, as a young professional, she earned enough to buy her parents their first house. Eventually, Sara moved abroad, seeking a better life for her own family.

 Though she lived most of her life outside of Peru, she preserved her family’s cultural identity with every dish she cooked—aji de gallina, causa, anticuchos, arroz chaufa, arroz con pollo, escabeche de pescado, seco de cordero, lomo saltado, tallarines rojos, papa a la huancaina, and more.

 Sara loved to dance the creole waltz with Nicolás, her husband for more than half a century, at family reunions and peñas criollas. And when she cooked, she would also play music and dance in her kitchen.

 Despite her petite stature, she was a fierce tennis player that gained the admiration of all her friends and opponents, on and off the court. Also, as a College Spanish teacher, she forever changed the lives of all the students that were lucky enough to have been in her class. And as a lawyer, she helped many immigrants settle into their new lives in Canada.

 Sara loved to travel, and over the years she enjoyed exploring the food and culture in London, San Sebastian, Lisbon, Tokyo, Florence, Manila, and Hong Kong. But she always remembered and honored her roots and was most fond of annual trips to Lima to see her cherished family and friends. On one special trip, Sara visited the crumbling tenement building where she learned to cook from her mother when she was six years old. 

 When Sara was not cooking, she loved eating out with her family at chifa style restaurants that served some of her favorite dishes, such as dim sum, steamed fish, wonton soup, noodles, or fried rice. “Barriga llena, corazón contento,” full belly, happy heart was one of her favorite sayings.

 At her home in Canada, Sara created a beautiful and inviting space filled with art from all her trips to Peru. Her home welcomed families and friends for countless dinners, reunions, and celebrations—from birthday parties, to Thanksgiving, to Christmas, when she loved to arrange a nativity scene surrounded by starry lights. Many of her children’s friends remarked on her warm and welcoming nature and her delicious offerings of food.

 In her last few years, during the challenging pandemic, she realized one of her most precious dreams—she became a grandmother. And despite travel restrictions and limited mobility she was determined to travel abroad to meet her grandchildren on two occasions. Her short time with her grandchildren was filled with much tenderness and joy.

 Sara loved springtime, when she enjoyed tending to the flowers in her garden. She was very fond of roses and she’d always take the time to breathe in their nourishing fragrance. Sara passed away in the early hours of June 3rd, 2023, a beautiful spring day full of hope, just like her.

 Sara leaves behind her husband Nicolás and three children Nico, José, and Martin plus her family and friends in Canada and Peru. But she leaves them with precious memories and many gifts: her wondrous joy, her uplifting smile, her warm laughter, her profound kindness, her unstoppable courage, her incredible sense of justice, and most of all her infinite love.

Visitation

Service

Burial