House of Gaia Mourns the Passing of “Mother to All”
Linda Lislane Bruce, A Woman Dedicated to Fostering Social Inclusion in Naples
Linda Lislane A. Bruce passed away peacefully October 4th, 2017 at Avow Hospice, surrounded by family and loving friends.
Linda (known as Lislane) was born in Bahia, Brazil on September 25, 1942 and lived most of her life in Rio de Janeiro. Coming to Naples with her husband Roberto Bruce in 2004 she joined with her devoted daughter, Maria Luisa (Lulu) Carter, working philanthropically in a mother/daughter labor of love to develop and nurture the non-profit community learning center House of Gaia.
Lislane worked for over 9 years at Gaia, dedicating her life to make the center an inclusive place for all members of the community. She had a special commitment to those individuals with visible or not so visible disabilities who may have had fewer options for personal development.
Through her and Lulu’s efforts, the center has grown, offering different events, classes and workshops, all based on a curriculum of art and well-being and all teaching communication skills, peace, the value of service and the importance of kindness in every day living.
Besides her contributions to House of Gaia, Lislane was an active and innovative contributor to society, in many ways, wherever she lived.
As an educator in Brazil, she and Lulu had their own preschool for many years in Rio de Janeiro, where they focused on the holistic education of children as the building block for a healthy and peaceful society.
As a community service activist, she travelled, spending time in the river communities in Brazil’s Amazon and in Haiti, where she volunteered at the New Life Children’s Home in Port Au of Prince.
As a family psychologist with 30 years of experience, she served the Latin community in Naples and Fort Myers.
And as a folk artist, she represented her heritage though her work with dolls. She created a large collection of over 300 Brazilian Carnival dolls, which became part of an event in the inauguration of the Brazilian Garden in the Naples Botanical Garden in 2009.
Above all, in Naples Lislane was known as “mother to all”, with many members of our community – especially those in the special needs community – calling her “Mama Lis” and “Mama Gaia”.
Lislane Bruce’s devotion to help and embrace mothers and children of all cultures made her a very important member of our Neapolitan community. She will be deeply missed by all of us, especially during these trying times when the word needs more compassion, sense of community, and solidarity.
She had hoped her greatest legacy would be to teach and inspire others how to serve. She hoped that through the programs and work done by her, her daughter Lulu Carter and so many other members of the community of House of Gaia an example would be set for present and future generations of the importance of social justice, community building and family union.
Lislane’s immediate family of daughter Lulu, husband Roberto, grandson Mateus and son-in-law Adam thank the community for its love and support and would like to invite friends, family and community members to honor Lislane's Life and Legacy this Saturday, October 14th, 2017 at 11:00AM at House of Gaia.
Words for Lislane
Angielly Betancourt Guzman “she is unconditional love , may the heavens wear its most beautiful colors to welcome our beautiful momma gaia . Her light and love will always shine upon all those who she touched with her unconditional love . ”
Billy Pagoni ‘You are my eternal friend and angel... thank you for believing in me. You inspired my art. You are PEACE, LOVE, UNDERSTANDING, and JOY. HEAVEN SENT and HEAVEN RECEIVED..”
Evonn Peterson “loving thoughts and prayers for you and your family . Thank you for sharing your mom with the world and your amazing relationship with each other.. true inspiration! Your moms kindness and heartfelt hugs will be missed . I know her Angel presence will always be with us !”
Vanessa Uzupes “Her love, light, memories and inspiration live on forever in our hearts and souls, and I just know angel Gaia will be watching over us! Surrounding you in love, healing, and comforting hugs.”
Corinne Catalano Cassaday “A Beautiful Angel on Earth and Now in Heaven, we will all miss her greatly and we feel privileged to have known her. The children will miss her amazing smile and her warm embrace.”
Sandra Hodge McGill “ her compassion for children and community, her spirit, her zest for life, her love we will always remember her life and friendship with a smile and new angel wings. “
Eve Gron “Our sweetest Lis is in the presence on God now ! I m heartbroken, she created such a beautiful team together, Lulu and Lis are one of a kind, unique Angles of Beauty, Lis Loved without conditions, talked without intention, she gave without reason and cared without expectations. May our loving God give her peace and everlasting Love.”
Linda Ponce-Halligan “Mama will always be remembered as a loving & kind soul. I will miss that beautiful woman.”
Lulu Carter “ Mom Lislane Bruce is a perfect example of service, she wanted to live to keep serving, but God now needs her by him side to be an angel, I shall call the Angel of Light, she is glitter, and colors, so I really hope if any time you need a sparkle in your life, ask her to help you to find your sparkle, keep shining, keep loving, because Love is the answer."
Love is Patient…
Love is kind…
Love never ends…
Corinthias 13
Our founder Linda Lislane Bruce was honored March 02, 2018 at Hodges University, more information...
