Saundra Trulove

On September 12, 1938, our mother, Saundra Deane Mills was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, the only child of Vera Dean and Jack Mills. Her early years were spent in Greensboro, but when she was a teenager, she moved to Miami, Florida, where she would spend most of her life. She attended Notre Dame Academy, an all-girl Catholic high school in Miami. After graduation she entered the convent in South Florida for a time. She later left the convent, married Ted Denault, and had three children: Laura, Robin and Daniel. She is survived by her children and two grandchildren, who she adored: Emma and Cole. She also is survived by Fred and Skip, her step-sons from a later marriage to Fred Trulove, and by their four children: Tyler, Traci, Timothy, and Matthew. She raised her children in Miami, where she worked for thirty years as a medical receptionist and scheduler. She then retired and moved to Orlando, Florida in 2001 to be near her children, and later her grandchildren. 

Scripture tells us that "Faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love." 1 Cor.13:13. Our mother embodied all of these, but most of all, love. She loved unconditionally and sacrificially - always putting others first in everything. She was the warmest, most loving, thoughtful, and giving person we have ever known. Everyone who knew her, however long or briefly, loved her. She was beautiful inside and out and made a lasting impression wherever she went. She made everyone she encountered feel loved and accepted. She was a gifted storyteller and loved to make you smile or laugh. She was passionate about the arts. Film, music, ballet, and books were a part of her being. She was never without a book. When she finished one, she began another. She was self-taught about many things and loved to share the best of it with anyone who would listen. She would share with you (usually more than once) her favorite lines from movies, songs, and poems, quoting them verbatim each time, as if they were her own words. She cried easily and often couldn't get through a story or quotation without crying, even though she had repeated it many times before. Being with her was comfortable and wonderful. You always walked away feeling better by having been with her. She also had a tender heart for strays. Her home was a haven for them; dogs, cats and, sometimes, people. When she went to the pound for a dog she asked which one had been there the longest and brought him home. Her yard was a sanctuary for wild birds, squirrels and raccoons. They knew they could always find good food there (like the rest of us). Most important of all, she had a strong, enduring faith in Jesus Christ as her savior, and she shared her faith in the gentlest but most impactful ways. She loved to pray the rosary and was faithful to pray for those in need of prayer, whether she knew them or not. 

On December 12, 2024, God called our precious mother home. Assisted by the Blessed Mother at the hour of her death, and led by angels who surrounded her, she peacefully passed from this earth to heaven with her children holding her hands. She was 86 years old. It was too soon for those she left behind, but long-awaited for those she loves who went ahead. She is a beautiful soul and has loved God since she was a child. We are comforted knowing she has now seen the face of God and is in His presence, and in remembering that: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." Cor. 2:9. Her happiness now is beyond our imagination. She will live on in our hearts and memories, and although she is not physically present, she will be spiritually closer than ever to us.

Livestream of funeral Mass

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