Maria Luisa Nodarse of Springfield, VA, died peacefully, surrounded by her loving family, on Saturday November 28, 2020 at the age of 88. She was born Maria Luisa Jauregui Prats on December 4, 1931 to her beloved parents Jose Jauregui and Francisca Prats. She was the youngest of six children, Eduardo, Encarnacion, Jose, Francisca and Carlos, all who have predeceased her. Her father died when she was just 9 months old, leaving her mother to care for all of the children. She lived a life of hard work, humility, and most importantly, Faith. Faith, family and love were the roots of her upbringing. Her two sisters found their vocation as the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent De Paul. And one of her three brothers became a Christian brother of De Sales (Hermano de la salle). She chose and lived a virtuous life. She could have chosen sorrow but always chose love. She married the love of her life, Raul J. Nodarse of Havana, on May 26, 1953. They went on to have 4 children. Maria (Lupe), Marietta, Magda and Raul. In 1961 the family fled Cuba to Columbia. Four days before leaving Cuba, they discovered that their only boy had Hemophilia. While in Columbia, they were housed by the Daughters of Charity, where the nuns helped care for the children. In 1962 they came to the United States, where our father worked multiple jobs to provide for the family. In 1963 they welcomed their 5th child, Vivian. They worked tirelessly to provide for their loving family. They embraced the United States as their new home, loved and respected their freedom and the American Flag. Faith always remained at the center of their lives. At the young age of 44, She buried the love of her life, our Papi. She became a single parent to 5 children. Four extremely strong young women, and an incredibly strong young man, who lived with Hemophilia. She also cared for her aging mother, full time. Well read, hardworking and driven, she became the head of Fairfax Hospital’s Medical Records and later the Supervisor of Impatient Billing. Her children all married and she loved her son in laws as if they were her own, Mike Kohler (deceased), Steve Mockbee (Lupe), Randy Tallia (Marietta), Ralph Culver (Magda) and Jim Swiger (Vivian). And she certainly loved and welcomed her daughter in law, Tammy Russick (Raul), as if she was another daughter. In 1981 she became Mimi to her very first grandchild, Mikie. From that moment on, she was only known as Mimi to everyone.. She loved being a grandmother. After a debilitating attack of Rheumatoid Arthritis, she retired and became a full time Mimi. She proudly loved and helped each and every one of us raise her 13 grandchildren and 3 step grandchildren. Mikie, Matt, Chris, Stevie, Brittney, Jackie, Stephie, David, Blake, Carleigh, Sarah, Allie and Jimmy. Her step grandchildren, Geoff, Michelle and Teddy were so loved. They were all the lights of her life. Her pride and joy. She was a Tia to many nephews and nieces, each one of them held a special place in her heart, she loved them dearly. Throughout the 90’s we suffered many losses of loved ones. In 1991, she comforted her oldest daughter, Lupe and her children, as she cared for her husband Mike who ultimately lost his battle against Colon Cancer. In 1993 She comforted her son Raul, as he buried his young wife, Tammy. In 1995, she so gently comforted all of us while we lost our brother and her only son at 35 years old. But perhaps her most crushing blow was the death of our Mikie in 1999. Mimi’s heart broke with the unexpected passing of her eldest grandchild. It was her unwavering faith and gentle wisdom that helped her guide us and comfort us through multiple illnesses and multiple deaths. She was a pillar of strength. Again, she chose love and faith over sorrow. Despite the pain of it all, Mimi knew love and appreciated laughter. Her smile was infectious and her laughter was like music. Everyone and anyone that has ever met Mimi, loves Mimi. She loved hard, and taught us to do the same. She touched so many lives with her love and kindness. She leaves a legacy of 17 great grandchildren and 3 step great grandchildren. All of whom love their Mimi. In recent years, even as her mind and memory faded, her love for family and friends never faded or faltered. On Saturday, her frail and tired body came to rest. In the stillness that surrounded us, you could feel the tranquility. Her radiant spirit was felt by the three generations that she helped give life to, as we surrounded her with prayer and a loving embrace. There is no doubt that our sweet mother will be embraced by our Lord and our loved ones. She will be missed, but we feel so blessed and honored to have called her our mom and Mimi. Vaya con Dios Mimi, you’ve done your job. A job more than well done. Thank you for teaching us to keep the faith and love hard. We love you! In Lieu of flowers, donations can be made in memory of Maria L Nodarse to the Hemophilia Association of the Capital Area. Please leave her name in the comment section. Checks may also be mailed to: Hemophilia Association of the Capital Area (HACA) 8136 Old Keene Mill Road Suite A312 Springfield, VA 22152 Please add: In Memory of Maria L. Nodarse in the memo.