Carmen Lydia Jimenez passed away peacefully at the age of 91 with her loving family surrounding her.
Carmen was born in 1931 in Barranquitas, Puerto Rico, to Rosenda and Nicolas Jimenez.
Carmen and her family relocated to Park Slope, Brooklyn, when she was a young lady. It was there she met and married her love Neptali. Carmen was a devoted wife and mother and together they would raise their five children.
Carmen was an extraordinary woman who had many talents. She worked in Brooklyn as a tailor for a local station on Channel 13 and later as an administrator for an ophthalmology office. Carmen also owned and operated an authentic Puerto Rican restaurant in Brooklyn where her famous dish of arroz con gandules (Puerto Rican rice with pigeon peas) was the love of the neighborhood.
Carmen enjoyed cooking her traditional dishes for her family during holidays and special occasions, all traditions that her daughters and grandchildren carry on to this day. Carmen loved to travel back to Puerto Rico to visit with her family. She loved to dance and fill the house with sounds of Tito Puente or Celia Cruz. She was blessed with a big heart and was always helping her family and friends. Most of all, she enjoyed being surrounded by her family.
Carmen was predeceased by her sister Maria, her daughters Magda and Linda, and her loving husband Neptali.
She is survived by her children, Jose Jimenez, Maria and her husband Michael Giannattasio, and Madelyn Jimenez; her brother Nicolas Jimenez; sister Olga Diaz; her eight grandchildren, Gordon, Amanda, Benjamin, Christopher, Jonathan, Anna Maria, Eve and Neomi; her many nieces and nephews; and many loving great-grandchildren.
Visitation was held Sept. 18 at Holmdel Funeral Home, Holmdel. A Mass of Christian Burial was held Sept. 19, at St. Leo the Great Church, Lincroft. Burial followed at Cypress Hills Cemetery, Brooklyn.
In lieu of traditional remembrances, please consider making a donation in Carmen’s name to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at stjude.org.
For messages of condolence, or to share a favorite memory of Carmen, please visit her page of tribute at holmdelfuneralhome.com.
This article originally appeared in the September 21 – 27, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
