Nelita Concepcion Cruz

Nelita Concepción Cruz — our beloved Grandma Nellie — passed away peacefully in Minneapolis, MN during the early hours of July 21st after a brief illness. She was born in the Philippines and arrived in the U.S. in the 1980s, spending many following years with daughter Laura and son-in-law Joaquin.

Grandma Nellie was unafraid to speak her mind, and her charming smile paired with her sense of mischief were disarming. She was sometimes hard to please, but she was full of love — which she expressed through relentless teasing, silly nicknames, and delicious Filipino home cooking like pancit and lumpia.

Grandma Nellie was always “on the move.” A regular at the Uptown YWCA for 20+ years, she took Zumba and exercise classes almost every day. She was proud of her flexibility and strength which kept her independent into old age. Music was constantly part of her life — singing at the piano, attending her grandchildren’s recitals, learning the flamenco and cha-cha, and challenging others to keep up with her on the dance floor.

A lifelong, curious student, she loved to ask questions and enjoyed taking Spanish and computer classes. She approached life with a “come what may” attitude and, as a devout Catholic, always had faith that “God will provide.” She laughed often and made friends wherever she went, especially the downtown Minneapolis shops she frequented. She treasured her loved ones and held dear the memory of her brother who gave his life serving as a priest in Guatemala — Father “Condring.” She was extremely proud of her grandchildren, bragging about their musical, academic, and career achievements to anyone within earshot.

Grandma Nellie faced many challenges in her life, and she met them with grit and tenacity. She was preceded in death by siblings Dolores, beloved Fr. Conrado, Rolando, Wilfredo, and Bernardo. She is survived by siblings Erlinda, Leticia, José Jr., Gloria, and Evelyn; children Cynthia, Ramón, Laura, Josephine, and Lyndon; grandchildren Edward, Anjo, Paoulo, Raymond, Monica, Isabella, Francesca, Juancho, Quinito, and Carlo; and great-grandchildren Zachary, Zoe, Zian, Edrei, and Khaila. We were lucky to have Grandma Nellie in our lives and miss her dearly.