Maria Emilia Delgado

Maria Emilia Delgado was 98 years old. She was born in Cuba to Augustine Vizcaino and Mercedes Pons. Maria Emilia Delgado was known as Emilia to her close friends and as Mima to her family. Maria Emilia gained her high school education in Cuba. After high school she studied under Profesoras de Costura (dressmaking professors) and became a tailoring seamstress. Maria Emilia earned a living from her tailored seamstress skills and was often sought after for her dressmaking abilities. She married Bernardo Felix Delgado the town pharmacist and eventually had three daughters with him, Maria Teresa. Mercedes, and Omaida. In 1962, just 36 years old, Maria Emilia, her husband and two eldest daughters fled Communism and settled in Newark, New Jersey. When she arrived in New Jersey, she quickly signed herself up for English classes. While her husband worked at the Port of New Jersey, Maria Emilia braved the dark city streets, dragging her two daughters along every night to and from the school where she was learning the language. She gave birth to her third daughter in 1970. Maria Emilia and her husband opened a children's clothing store, Kid's Corner in Harrison, New Jersey. A few years later, on November 5, 1978, a day before her birthday, she would survive her husband's death and finish raising those girls by herself. When her husband passed, she closed the store and put those seamstress skills to work full time. Maria Emilia started her own wedding dress making business. She was very skilled at making dresses and could make any dress pictured in any magazine by just looking at it. She would make her own patterns and tailor the dresses to the customer's measurements. She became a successful full court wedding seamstress tailor. She made the dresses for the full wedding party to countless weddings. Many times, she not only made the full wedding court, but was sought by the wedding guests.

In 1982, she moved to Hialeah, Florida and continued to make wedding dresses here in Florida. She made all the wedding dresses for all the girls in the family including her granddaughter's. She made every piece of clothing she wore during her life.

Maria Emilia is survived by her three daughters. She was a Catholic and throughout her life attended church regularly on Sundays until she could no longer drive to church.

Visitation is from 6:30 PM – 10:30 PM at the Vista Funeral Home.