Elena Simon de Leon passed away peacefully on the morning of August 28, 2026, in Merritt Island, Florida, at the age of 84. She leaves behind a life story marked by courage, resilience, faith, laughter, and, above all, extraordinary kindness.

Elena was born on April 30, 1942, in Agabama, Cuba, to Jose Simon and Elena Menendez. She grew up on a farm near the Agabama River, a place that would forever be part of the story of who she was.

Her early life required a courage that was remarkable for someone so young. During the turbulent years following the Cuban Revolution, Elena quietly helped provide supplies to those involved in the resistance in the Escambray Mountains. While still a teenager, she was forced to leave her homeland and the parents she loved. She escaped Cuba in a small boat with her brother, two close family friends and a doctor, eventually coming ashore in the Florida Keys.

America would become her home.

After receiving her Green Card, Elena went to work in a factory in New Jersey, where she met John de Leon. Together they had two daughters, Ellen de Leon Rubino and Essie de Leon Nguyen. Although Elena had been able to complete only the fifth grade in Cuba, she taught herself to read and write English proficiently. She built a life in her adopted country while never losing the unmistakable Spanish accent that was forever part of her.

Eventually settling in Texas, Elena worked for many years as a cosmetics manager for Randall's. She was hardworking and capable, but family always came first. When her daughter Essie became ill with ovarian cancer, Elena left work early so that she could help care for her. Essie passed away in 2009, a loss Elena carried with her for the rest of her life.

To her daughters, Elena was an incredibly loving and supportive mother. To her grandchildren, Beau Chandler Muniz and Madison Leigh Muniz, she was "Abuela" or "Grandma Elena." And later, she had the joy of becoming a great-grandmother to Millie Isabel Muniz.

Elena's greatest gift may have been the way she made people feel.

She was kind and friendly to everyone—not selectively, but instinctively. Elena simply did not walk into a room without saying good morning or good afternoon to everyone in it. Her smile came easily, laughter was plentiful, and she had a way of making almost anything fun. She was active in prayer groups and spent a lifetime helping others, often quietly and without expecting anything in return.

A close friend once said that Elena had helped "an army of people" during her time on this earth and that surely there was a place in heaven waiting for her. Those who knew Elena would understand exactly what she meant.

Hospitality came naturally to her. You could hardly visit Elena without being offered one of her delicious little espressos, and those fortunate enough to sit at her table knew what a wonderful cook she was. Her arroz con pollo and picadillo were family favorites that will be especially missed.

She enjoyed tennis and bowling, loved to laugh, and possessed a wonderfully playful spirit. And then there was the alien.

Elena remained steadfast throughout her life in her claim that, one early morning in South Florida during the mid-1970s, she saw an alien walking down the street. Whether everyone believed her was beside the point. Elena knew what she saw, and the story became one more beloved piece of family lore.

The later years of Elena's life brought challenges that gradually took away some of the things she had once enjoyed. But they could never erase the life she had already lived or the love she had given so freely.

From a young girl growing up near a river in Cuba, to a teenager brave enough to cross the sea toward an uncertain future, to a woman who taught herself a new language, built a career, raised a family, cared for a daughter when she was needed most, and spent a lifetime extending kindness to others, Elena's was an extraordinary journey.

Elena is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Ellen de Leon Rubino and Paul Rubino; her son-in-law, Thuy Nguyen; her grandchildren, Beau Chandler Muniz and his wife, Dr. Courtney Lattimore, and Madison Leigh Muniz and her husband, Kristopher Gonzalez; and her great-granddaughter, Millie Isabel Muniz.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Jose Simon and Elena Menendez; her brother Jose (Paquito) Simon; and her beloved daughter, Essie de Leon Nguyen.

Those who loved Elena will remember many things: her courage, her faith, her cooking, her espressos, her laughter, her stories and that unmistakable accent.

But perhaps most of all, they will remember her smile and her kindness.

Elena never entered a room without acknowledging the people in it.

And she never left a life without having made it a little brighter.

A Celebration of Life honoring Elena will be held near what would have been her 85th birthday in April 2027. Details will be shared with family and friends at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family invites those wishing to honor Elena's memory to make a donation to a favorite charity or plant a tree in her memory—two simple ways to continue the kindness she so freely gave throughout her life.