Obituary of Emma Estela Cerda

Emma Estela Cerda (née Ampie) passed away peacefully on Wednesday, August 24th, 2022, at the Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, NJ at the age of ninety-two.

Emma is survived by her children Martha Cajina (Ramón Octavio), Maira A. Cerda and Jose Humberto Cerda (Ligia) and son in-law, Carlos Gaitan-Cerda. She also leaves behind her grandchildren Ramón H. Cajina, Emma A. Varrial (Cory), Maira D. Ulloa Cerda, Paola Chadwell (Jacob), Jose H. Cerda Jr. (Lina), Ana J. Gomez (Moises), Valeria Guevara (Antonio) and Emma R. Delf (Fred) as well as numerous great grandchildren, nieces/nephews, and her sisters Dora Ampie and Rosalpina Ryan.

She was predeceased by her husband, Humberto Cerda Garcia; grandsons, Gustavo A. Cajina (Gus), and Gustavo H. Ulloa; daughters Sandra Gaitan-Cerda and Josefina Cerda; sisters, Amalia Ampie, and Sofia Diaz; brother Carlos Ampie and brother in-law Peter Ryan.

Emma was born in Managua, Nicaragua, and married Humberto Cerda Garcia on November 6^th, 1944. She lived there until she moved to the USA to be closer to her daughter Martha, son in-law Ramón Octavio and her grandchildren Ramón Humberto, Emma, and Gus.

Emma was dedicated to her family and was a loving mother and grandmother who was always supportive of her children and grandchildren. She was particularly close to her grandson Ramón Humberto whom she considered a son. Emma also loved spending time with her great grandchildren Lucas and Logan and never missed an opportunity to attend their birthday parties and functions. She provided unconditional love and support to her family and the impact of her loss cannot be measured.

The family thanks the members of the Oakland First Aid squad and Police departments, as well as the nurses, doctors, and staff at Dellridge Health and Rehabilitation Center and the Valley Hospital for their attention and the compassionate care they provided.

A visitation will be held at the Oakland Memorial Home, 330 Ramapo Valley Road, Oakland, NJ on Friday September 2nd, 2022, from 4:00pm - 8:00pm ET. A mass will be held in her honor at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, 25 Purdue Ave, Oakland, NJ on Saturday September 3rd, 2022, at 9:30 am ET. A funeral ceremony will follow at Rosehill Memorial Park, 101 Mill St, Putnam Valley, NY.

In lieu of flowers, the family would ask that donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Association (https://www.alz.org/).