SACO — Lucia Tovar Moreno of Saco passed away peacefully on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2014 at home, surrounded by her loved ones.

Lucia was born on July 7, 1931 in New York, New York. She was the daughter of Elena Gomez Salcedo and Camilo Tovar Villota. Lucia’s parents were descendants of very old, aristocratic, Spanish families of Bogota, Colombia. At the age of 4, her parents returned to Bogota to rejoin their extended families. It was there where she received her formal education.

Lucia received her baccalaureate from the Gimancio Femenino in 1947, and studied bacteriology at the Universidad Javeriana (Xavier University), both in Bogota.

There, she met her beloved husband of 64 years, hydraulics civil engineer Héctor Moreno-Gomez.

The young couple, with their two oldest children, Luis Fernando and Cristina, moved to New York City after Héctor was offered an engineering position there. Their youngest son, Charles, was born in the city. The family moved to Cheshire, Connecticut in 1968.

After raising her children, Lucia returned to her passion for academics and medicine. She graduated from Quinnipiac University of Connecticut as a registered nurse. In Connecticut, she worked in neo-natal care at University of Connecticut Medical Center, Waterbury Hospital, St. Mary’s Hospital, St. Rafael’s Hospital and Yale New Haven Hospital. For 20 years, Lucia served as a public health nurse for the schools for City of New Haven. Lucia was known for her compassion with children and for AIDS patients. She lent her multilingual abilities to their health care.

Lucia and Héctor retired to Saco, where they enjoyed the beauty of Maine’s nature, their friends of the Spanish Table, their many summer lobster bakes at Cristina’s, little trips, and midnight shopping with her daughter and friends. Lucia also taught at the University of New England, with Cristina, in a pilot program of Spanish for medical students.

She was an active member of the Southern Maine Health Care Women’s Auxiliary. Lucia and her husband were active members of the Democratic Committee of Saco, and participated in many gubernatorial, senatorial, congressional and presidential campaigns.

Lucia was known for her wonderful exuberance, her noble heart, her kindness and generosity. When Lucia entered a room, she touched everyone with her whirlwind energy, her lovely green eyes and smile, her elegance, and the gift for telling great stories with laughter and sunshine. Lucia was known for her love of medicine, world history, women’s and children’s causes, and politics. She was an aficionada for music, piano, theater, ballet, dance, song and anything Russian. Lucia’s love of travel added much to what she taught and shared. Most of all, she loved sharing with everyone stories and anecdotes about her loving family and how proud she was of their accomplishments. She was a wonderful wife, mom and friend. She was our Mimi.

She was preceded in death by: Matthew Moreno.

She is survived by: her husband, Héctor; and their children and spouses, Luis Fernando Moreno and wife Debbie of Vestal, New York, Cristina Moreno Trahan and husband Paul of Saco and Charles Moreno and wife Laurie of Strafford, New Hampshire.

She is also survived by: eight grandchildren, Jason Trahan of Richmond, Jessica Moreno Trahan, Stephen Paul Trahan, both of Los Angeles, Andrew Moreno of San Francisco, Benjamin Moreno of Philadelphia, Adriane Moreno of New York, Lydia Moreno of Fairfax, Virginia and Ethan Moreno of Strafford, New Hampshire.

A spiritual celebration of our beloved Lucia will be held on Saturday, Dec. 20 at 1 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Saco at 60 School St. The family will receive guests following the memorial service at the church. Visit www.advantageportland.com to sign Lucia’s guestbook, and to leave memories and condolences for the family. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, a donation in Lucia’s name be made to: ALS Association Northern New England Chapter, 10 Ferry St., Suite 309, Concord, NH 03301; or VNA Home Health and Hospice of Maine, 50 Foden Road, South Portland, ME 04106.