Laura Vidas

Laura Vidas, age 80, of Strongsville, Ohio passed away on July 1, 2022.  She was an amazing mother, wife, sister, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was born in Trget, Italy which later became Croatia. Her parents were fisherman. They lived in a small fishing town in the Istrian Peninsula on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. She would help her parents fish using nets and would help to sell the fish at the market. She embarked upon a journey to Italy and later to the U.S. with her son, John and her sister, Anna. She was 26 when she arrived in Cleveland, Ohio. She lived and worked in Cleveland a couple of years and established life long friendships. She use to tell the story of how she would walk to work and a nice man (Vince) gave her a ride in a blizzard. She went on to marry Vince. She bought a house in Brook Park with Vince and lived there for four years.  There she had a second son, Fred, and a daughter, Sabrina.  Her life centered on her husband and her children.  She enjoyed time with her family and friends. She took classes in English. She took several vacations to Croatia with her family. We have wonderful memories of her on the boat, and on the beach.  She moved to Brunswick for only a few months, then settled permanently in Strongsville. She had a knack for sewing and cooking. Cooking is how she showed her love. Cooking is how she will always be remembered along with her smile.  She would make sausage and prosciutto at home. She would go to farms to get the freshest meat and looked for older hens to buy because they produced the best sauce. She grew the most amazing vegetables in her garden. The garden had the best tomatoes, green onions, garlic, lettuce, and parsley. She was always baking some kind of dessert.  She made amazing crepes, gnocchi, pasta, lasagna, brodet (fish stew), polenta, deer, stuffed cabbage, soup, liver and onions, stuffed peppers, all kinds of seafood, and every imaginable game that Vince brought home.  After being diagnosed with celiac disease (along with her sister and son) she had to adopt all her baked goods recipes to make them gluten-free.  She was the best cook. She would grill often in the backyard. She cooked for several hours a day – the old fashioned way – taking her time and making it with love. So often her creations began with extra virgin olive oil. Then came the onions to caramelize. The house always smelled like a restaurant. Family members and friends stopped by often to say hello and never left without eating something, or enjoying a glass of wine, some prosciutto, cheese, or a cup of coffee. She hosted parties with friends. They sang, laughed, played cards, and ate well. Everyone brought some kind of dessert to the parties.  Her grandchildren and great grandchildren brought her extreme joy. She would light up when she saw them.  She babysat her grandchildren, and enjoyed walking them to the duck pond in Metro-Parks. She hosted countless holiday and birthday celebrations.  She, together with her sons would help Vince make wine, Grappa and pig roasts. She helped Vince make homemade sausages. She prepared the fish Vince caught and the game that he brought home from hunting. We were never hungry. We can still here her say “eat, it’s good.”  It was always good.  How amazing it was to wake up to a plate full of warm crepes, or to come in from the cold to homemade soup and a wonderful meal.  She often visited friends and family and exchanged food and gifts. She was always on the move and on the go. Her mind was sharp. She always had a smile on her face. She was the voice of reason. The sound of her voice was uplifting.  Her soft and gentle touch was comforting. She took good care of Vince who was on dialysis for 8 years. She took him to dialysis three times a week and all his appointments.  She took good care of all of us. She taught us many things and made us wiser.  She battled heart disease and renal failure in her last sickness after Vince passed. Her family took good care of her for four years after Vince passed and made sure she was happy and had everything she needed. We drove her everywhere so she can keep seeing her family and friends. We have wonderful memories of family events, Westside Market, shopping, the Casino, fast food runs, restaurants, and car rides. Just sitting in the back yard with her in the sun and conversing with her was cherished. Near the end she could no longer take care of us anymore. We provided everything she needed at home. Then came the last hospital stay. We provided her with love, conversation, humor, and would tickle her feet to get her to laugh. We cooked and brought to her her favorite meals every day while she was hospitalized. We ensured she got the best care. Eventually during the very end of her long hospital stay, she went to ICU and on a ventilator. The best she could do is to gaze at us, shake her head in response, hold our hands tightly, and wave. She would mouth words but no sounds came out. We were grateful to still see and feel her to the end. We made sure she was comfortable and that she knew how much we loved her.  She will be dearly missed. Thank you Mom for everything. We cannot thank you enough. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. We will cherish all of our wonderful memories with you. We all love you – forever.

Laura was a loving wife to Venancijo Vidas (deceased); devoted mother to John Zalic (Melissa), Fred Vidas (Elizabeth), and Sabrina Vidas; loving grandmother of Andrew Zalic (Marissa), Lisa Adams (Jeremiah), Ella Vidas, and Jack Vidas; and great grandmother of Miah Adams and Luca Adams; loving sister of Anna Walencey (Don) and Mario Gobo (deceased) (Lilliana deceased).  A private service and burial will be held at a future date.