July 17, 1941 – April 30, 2021 (age 79)
Lydia Trinidad was a former Executive Director of PRAHD in Perth Amboy who passed away recently. All the experiences I had with her, she was always a fun-loving gracious person who always had a huge smile.
PRAHD (the Puerto Rican Association for Human Development) had hired a professional photographer by the name of Jim Shea who was also a photojournalist who would take photos of most of their events. One year, for the Roberto Clemente Gala Jim was not able to attend because he and his wife were being treated to a cruise by his kids for their wedding anniversary. Jim asked me if I can do the event for him, and I was extremely nervous because Jim’s photos were always perfection. I reluctantly agreed to do the assignment. I am so glad I did because I had so much fun at the event, and it wasn’t a chore at all.
At the time, I was working for the Amboy Beacon. Of course, Bill George was there. It was a Mardi gras theme. It was so much fun watching the people with their different masks. When it came to the part of the evening when they were recognizing the honorees that night, Ms. Trinidad had so much fun introducing them, and it was so much fun taking candid shots instead of a lot of staged shots. It was so much fun catching people off-guard, just laughing, being themselves, and enjoying themselves. As a matter of fact, the pictures I took were so candid and so different, that when I gave a set of the photos to Ms. Trinidad, she said several people asked if she could get copies of the photos. I spent that evening joking with her and other officers on the board of PRAHD. The food was delicious, the atmosphere was very relaxing and fun, and it never felt like I was on assignment. That was an evening I’ll never forget.
When I was reading her obituary, I was impressed with all that she accomplished. Now, she has a well-deserved rest, and she is looking down and remembering all the people that she worked with, and how she was so grateful to be a part of their lives and to see their accomplishments. I was very happy to be a part of that evening (The Roberto Clemente Gala) and how gracious and fun-loving she was to me. I will never forget that day or her.
September 28, 1965 – May 7, 2021 (age 55)
The next person I want to remember is my second cousin, Melissa Whitehead Brown, who passed away suddenly on May 7, 2021 at the age of 55. She was an inspiration because she would share her past which she was not very proud of when she was much younger. She said, “At that point, I would consider myself a bad girl.” She was known as Missy.
There was also an article in the Home News Tribune about her. The Home News Tribune showed her standing at Delaney Homes Apartment Complex at the building where she used to live when she was in that “Bad Girl Stage” of her life, and she was reminiscing because at the time, Delaney Homes was going to be torn down. Even though her past was part of her life, it was not going to determine her future. She turned her life over to God, and once she did that, everything else was put into place. She was able to get a good steady job and become a counselor to people who struggled with the same situation that she had been in her past. She was also able to purchase a house in Woodbridge, something she thought she would never be able to do. With the help and guidance of her mother, she successfully was able to raise four children. Not only that, she became a grandmother herself. She married the love of her life, but unfortunately, she lost her husband in 2018.
Melissa’s smile was so bright, she could have easily landed a contract with a toothpaste company. We used to have family reunions every two years and we would have fundraisers to help defray some of the costs associated with the reunions. We would often meet at Melissa’s mother’s house or Melissa’s house for these fundraisers. She was always a bright spot. She loved life. She loved to laugh and was always a straight shooter, never minced words. She said what was on her mind whether you liked what she said or not. She was loving to her children and grandchildren, but if she had to put them in their place, she never held back. That is something to be admired. That is why it was such a shock when I heard she passed away, because the last time someone talked about her, she would be vacationing someplace or going out with family or friends. She would be one of the last persons that we would think would pass away so early in her life. When she went up to heaven into the open arms of our Father, she was also embraced by many relatives who left before her. Although she is not here physically, she is well and through the tears of those she left behind, she wants you to know not to grieve that long because she will come to you when you least expect it. She is living through all of you and that is the greatest gift she left behind. C.M.
