Dr. Yolanda Sosa

Pérez

Dr. Yolanda Ramona Sosa Pérez, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, was called home by her Lord on Saturday, November 7, 2026, at the age of 96. She was surrounded by loved ones and passed peacefully. 

Yolanda was born in Oriente, Cuba on February 1, 1928. As a young child, Yolanda lived on sugar cane colonies in rural Cuba with her parents and sister. She realized her calling to be a teacher at a young age and excelled academically. As a teenager, she attended an “Escuela Normal”–a specialty training school for aspiring educators–run by the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco in Camagüey. In 1947, she graduated early at 17 years old and immediately began working as a teacher in a small rural elementary school in San Miguel de Manatí. The school was so remote she had to commute daily on horseback. After two years, Yolanda returned to Victoria de las Tunas to be with her parents. Though working was not financially necessary, Yolanda always felt teaching was her passion and life’s purpose and she continued teaching at the local elementary school. During this time, Yolanda donated her entire salary to charity and her local church. 

In Victoria de las Tunas, Yolanda met the love of her life, Dr. José R. Pérez, who had recently arrived in town to open a dental practice. They married on May 22, 1954 and happily started their family. Yolanda returned to school to pursue her doctoral degree in pedagogy at the University of Havana. In 1956, she successfully defended her doctoral thesis while pregnant in her third trimester with her daughter, Yoly. She then began working in an administrative position in the local school system. 

Due to the subsequent communist revolution in Cuba and following political upheaval, Yolanda and her husband José made the courageous decision to leave their homeland in 1965 with their six young children to start a new life in the U.S. This entailed leaving behind their family, friends, social standing, and financial security. After brief stays in Mexico City and Miami, the family arrived in Delaware, where José worked in a public health clinic and Yolanda found work in two local factories. After three years, and a realization that returning to Cuba would not be possible, the family relocated to Alabama where Yolanda worked in a hematology lab to support the family while José returned to school at the University of Alabama to validate his professional dental credentials. The family then moved to San Antonio where José opened a successful private practice. Yolanda was a constant presence in the office, as both a dental assistant and office manager. 

After retirement, Yolanda and José dedicated their time to the Cuban Cultural Center of San Antonio, doing charitable work for the Archdiocese of San Antonio, and joined the Third Order of St. Francis as lay ministers. She was a lector at the Lourdes Grotto and devoted time with her husband to lead funeral Rosary services for their extensive friend group. She saw teaching as her lifelong vocation and enjoyed planning and leading bible studies for her Cuban community and friends. 

Yolanda was an avid reader, writer, and poet. She loved the beach and swimming. Yolanda and José’s was always a warm and inviting place for family and friends to feel at home. They loved hosting parties, always featuring lots of delicious Cuban food and music. Her sweet tooth was infamous–she often skipped a nutritious meal in favor of dessert, much to the chagrin of her beloved health-conscious husband. 

Yolanda was loving and dependable and valued faith, family, and education. She had a dynamic personality and was a true inspiration to those who were lucky enough to know her. Yolanda was, and will always remain to her loved ones, a living example of tenacity and resilience. Above all else, her legacy to her family will be her unwavering faith in God and trust and hope in His love and mercy. 

Yolanda is survived by her children, José Rafael Jr. (Joan), Yolanda “Yoly” Maria, Rafael Antonio (Monica), Julian Victor (Celia), and Eduardo Melchor; her 8 grandchildren (Alexander, Gabriella, Taylor, Leah, Briana, Kyler, Xochitl and Carlo), and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her loving husband of 61 years, Dr. José R. Pérez; her daughter, Lourdes Maria; her son, Ricardo Tomás; her parents, Rafael and Candita; her sister, Maria del Carmen; her brother, Rafael; and countless relatives and friends. 

The Pérez family would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to the staff of St. Francis Nursing Home and the Seraphic Sisters, who cared for Yolanda during the final nine and a half years of her life. We will be eternally grateful for their compassionate and attentive care, of not only her medical and physical needs, but her spiritual ones as well. 

Services will take place on Thursday, November 19th, with the visitation at 5:00 p.m. and the Rosary at 7:00 p.m. at The Angelus Funeral Home (1119 N. St. Mary's St., San Antonio, TX 78215). The funeral Mass followed by internment will take place on Friday, November 20th at 10:00 a.m. at the Holy Cross Cemetery Chapel (17501 Nacogdoches Rd., San Antonio, TX 78266). 

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Yolanda’s name to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, SAMM Ministries, or the San Antonio Food Bank.