Lucia Hobart Bravo of Vero Beach, died on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011, at her home on the shores of the Indian River.
She was born in 1922 to William Harrison and Rachel Cahill Hobart of 80 S. Plum Street in Troy, Ohio and was the second of four children.
The Bravos resided in Troy until 1996 at which time they moved to Hobart Landing in Vero Beach until Robert’s passing in 2000.
Bravo and her husband of 56 years, Robert Barrett Bravo, had six children.
She is preceded in death by her sister Marcia Hobart Howell and her son Jonathan Cahill Bravo.
Survivors include her brothers William Harrison Hobart and Peter Cahill Hobart; her daughters, Hylton Bravo Hard (Mrs. Lawrence E.), of Seattle, Wash.; Elizabeth Bravo Benson (Mrs. Peter A.), of Orchid; Sylvia Bravo Larsen (Mrs. Robert M.), of Concord, N.H.; and sons Stephen Logan Bravo (Christie Dickenson), of Wolfeboro, N.H.; and Alexandre Hobart Bravo (Martha Herrick), of Indian River Shores; 12 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Bravo attended Troy schools through the ninth grade at which time she transferred to Miss Hall’s School in Pittsfield, Mass.
She graduated from Smith College in Northampton, Mass., with a degree in sociology.
She married Robert in 1944 while he was serving as a pilot in the U.S. Navy.
Bravo was a tireless civic servant, earning her a place along with her husband in the Troy Hall of Fame in 2001.
She served in leadership roles in: Club of Rome (past President), Garden Club of America (National Program Chair), Dayton Chapter Garden Club of America (past President), Dayton Museum of Natural History Board, Great Miami River Corridor, Troy Country Workshop Artists, Overfield Tavern Museum, Dayton Visual Arts, Dayton Art Institute, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Dayton Ballet, Junior League of Dayton, American Red Cross, Nature Conservancy (Lifetime Member), Brukner Nature Center (past President), Ohio Highway Wildflowers planting initiative, Miami County Mental Health Board, Family Abuse Center, Troy Historic Society (Charter Member), Historic Troy (co-developer and wrote the forward), Troy-Miami County Public Library Board, Troy Restoration and Development Board, Troy Beautification Committee, Trees for Troy, McKee Botanical Gardens (Board of Directors), Vero Beach Museum of Art (Education Board), Smith College Club of Vero Beach, Indian River Land Trust, Hobart Landing Home Owners Assoc. (past president), Miss Hall’s School (Board of Trustees), Girl Scouts of America (Troop Leader), Trinity Episcopal Church (multiple-term warden, Sunday School teacher and prolific contributor to the church’s newsletter, Trinity Topics), and the Trinity “Nearly New”. Lucia received many awards for her service, including the “Distinguished Citizens Award” from the Troy Chamber of Commerce, “Distinguished Citizens Award” (along with Robert) from the Troy Jaycees, the “Distinguished Service Award” from the Water Management Association of Ohio, and the “Outstanding Service Award” from the Troy-Miami County Public Library.
There will be a memorial service at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 60 S. Dorset Rd., Troy, Ohio.
The date will be announced later for a memorial service at Trinity Episcopal Church in Vero Beach, Florida.
Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.strunkfuneralhome.com.
Memorial contributions may be made in Bravo’s name to the Hobart Urban Nature Preserve “One Tree at a Time” program through the Miami County Park District, 2645 E. State Route 41, Troy, OH 45373 (www.miami countyparks.com/onetree) or McKee Botanical Gardens, 350 U.S. 1, Vero Beach, FL 32962 (www. mckeegarden.org).
The family would like to express their sincere appreciation for all of her special caregivers during her last few years.