Nydia Luisa Rivera Rosario de Holt, 77, of Aibonito, Puerto Rico, passed away Feb. 11, 2020, surrounded by her family in Vienna, W.Va.
She was the daughter of the late Miguel de J. Rivera Gonzalez and Emma Luisa Rosario Cuyar, of Aibonito, Puerto Rico, where she was born, raised and continued to live until her unexpected illness.
She was a loving mother to Robert Kerry Holt and wife Linda Kosten, of Morgantown, and Jennifer Holt Ernest and husband Doug Ernest, of Vienna, W.Va. “Mo,” as she was affectionately called, was a loving grandmother to Emily Paige Ernest, Douglas Bryan Ernest, Jr. and Braden Michael Holt.
Nydia was a beautiful soul with a generous and bright spirit. She was a strong, independent woman who cared fiercely for her family and others. She touched every person she met, whether it be through her kind yet passionate, witty spirit or through her philanthropy that was very dear to her heart. She was always looking for ways to help and support others both in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. She volunteered for many years in various capacities and was named Volunteer of the Year at WVU Ruby Memorial Hospital as well as by Governor Joe Manchin in 2005 for endless compassion and dedication to her patients as a translator during their treatment and recovery. She also helped organize fundraisers for various charitable causes during her time helping her son, Robert Kerry, operate Meadow Ponds Golf Course.
Nydia was very passionate and active in her local community, of Aibonito, Puerto Rico, always striving to make it a better place for others to live. Throughout the years, she served on several medical mission trips with the local Mennonite Hospital to the Dominican Republic, where they often brought donated supplies and toys they collected, from Aibonito, Puerto Rico. This is just a small sample of her sincere love and care for the welfare of others that was immensely evident throughout her lifetime.
Along with her parents, she is preceded in death by her brother Carlos Miguel Rivera. Along with her children and grandchildren, she is survived by three sisters and their families: Carmen Emma Creighton and Migdalia J. Rivera, of Virginia Beach, Va., and Maria Anita Scotter, of Palmerston North, New Zealand.
We are incredibly grateful to the doctors and nurses at WVU Medicine in both Morgantown and Parkersburg as well as the nurses and staff of Amedisys Hospice of Parkersburg for their compassionate and excellent care of our beloved mother.
A Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held in Aibonito, Puerto Rico, at a date to be determined.
