Lilia Diaz (Linares) Montero

Lilia Díaz Montero, 95, passed away at Autumn Care of Marshville, N.C. on Monday, October 27. Her husband Julian Montero and her two brothers and two sisters in Cuba preceded her in death. In the final weeks of her life, Lilia was surrounded by the love of her family and her many friends in the Wingate community. Lilia was born in the town of Cruces, in central Cuba, to Isabel Valdés Ramos, a homemaker, and don Tomás Díaz Linares, a veteran of Cuba´s war of independence, known in the US as the Spanish-American War. At the age of 18, alone and unable to speak English, she came to the United States to study at Mars Hill College, at the time an uncommon journey for a young woman from a traditional family in a small town. At the insistence of her family, Lilia returned to Cuba, where she taught English at the Baptist Church in Cruces. She also opened a private school for the study of English, typing and shorthand, and taught in the secondary school system after completing her studies at the university. After the triumph of the Cuban revolution in 1959, Lilia decided to leave the home she had made with her husband Julian to bring her children to the United States. They arrived in Fayetteville in 1962, to settle in North Carolina with the help of her lifelong friend Dorothy Little Olliff, her roommate at Mars Hill, and her husband U.S. Army Lt. Colonel Charles K. Olliff, both deceased. Lilia completed her Master’s degree in Spanish at UNC Chapel Hill and taught at Wingate University until the Monteros’ retirement to Miami in 1984. After her husband’s death in that city, she relocated to Wingate, continued her activities at the Wingate Baptist Church and rekindled her many friendships in the community. She was especially proud of her work with the Spanish-speaking church of El Buen Pastor in Monroe. The family thanks the Wingate community for their many gestures of kindness over the years, Dr. J. Derrill Smith, pastor of Wingate Baptist and her many friends there. The family also thanks the staff at Autumn Care for their professionalism and compassion. In lieu of flowers, please donate in Lilia´s memory to the Wingate Baptist Church, PO Box 339, and/or to the Wycliffe Bible Translators, PO Box 628200, Orlando FL 32862-8200, indicating that it is for the ministry of Lilia’s friends Jim and Deb Cartright of Waxhaw, N.C. Lilia’s loss is mourned and her life celebrated by her children Oscar, Luisa and Lili; her grandson, Julian; her niece, Emma Karim; great-nieces Ana and Rosa; Rosa’s daughter, Nyla and their families; and by her extended family in Charlotte, Indian Trail, Florida and Cuba. Please join them at a memorial service at the Wingate Baptist Church Saturday November 8, with visitation at 1pm in the fellowship hall and the service at 2 pm in the sanctuary.