María Silvia Arboleda

To speak of María Silvia Arboleda was to speak of love. She was born on June 24, 1945, in the fertile land of Andalusia, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. Her journey through this earthly world concluded in the stillness of an afternoon on September 8, 2025.

Silvia was the soul of an artist, a painter, a poet who recited verses full of creativity, finding paradise in nature, in sun-drenched days, and in the infinite blues of the sky. Her spirit soared with the birds, and her sensitivity transformed her into a being of light, overflowing with love with every step. For her children, she was their angel on Earth, a being full of wisdom and sweetness.

A philosopher at heart, always curious about the mysteries of the universe and life, she lost herself among the pages of books and found beauty in manual creation. Her hands gave life to "rollitos" pillows, which today are a tangible reminder of her affection, preserved in the memories of her family and friends.

Her six children, Nereyda, Rodrigo, Edgar, William, Janeth, and Carolina Gallego, today feel the echo of her absence, but they gratefully embrace having had her as a mother and the legacy she left them. In her teachings and her love, they find the strength to carry on.

Grandmother of eight and great-grandmother of two, a loving and eternally remembered aunt, Silvia chose Middletown as her home, a town that for her was a blessed place.

Her faith in God, strengthened after her baptism in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, was her anchor and guide. Today, her soul rests in peace, alongside her former husband, Aldemar Gallego, and other loved ones.

In her honor, her children will publish a book of her poems in April 2026, entitled "Silvia, in memoriam." Because her passing is not an end, but rather an echo that will endure in art, in memory, and in the hearts of those who loved her and continue to love her into eternity because they understand that love will always be alive.

Funeral service and wake will be held on September 28, 2025, at Meléndez Funeral Home, LLC, located at 30 Grove St., Middletown, NY 10940, from 12:00 PM until 3:00 PM.