Haydee Mas Quinones

Haydee Mas Quinones died on May 6, 2016 in her home in Salt Lake City, Utah at the age of 91.  She was born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico on May 10, 1924 to Gumercindo and Antonia Quinones. She grew up in Mayaguez with her parents, six sisters and one brother. Haydee was the first and only of her siblings to attend college, which she did at the University of Mayaguez. Afterward she moved to New York City to comfort one of her homesick sisters. There Haydee met her husband, Enrique Mas, while the two were working in the same hospital. The newlyweds moved to Chicago where they would raise their feisty daughter, Haydee Mas Jr. In 1989, the couple moved to Salt Lake City to enjoy and care for their grandchildren.

To say Haydee lived a long and full life would be an understatement. A phrase that often comes to mind is “a force to be reckoned with”.  Her life was characterized by unparalleled willpower, determination, and character. She attended the University of Mayaguez the first year they allowed women, despite her father’s insistence that she would never finish. She went on to graduate with not one, but two degrees, in biology and social work. Once in Chicago, she survived what doctors labeled as terminal cancer in her early 30s, as well as several other serious injuries and illnesses. She loved interior decoration, and her home was always a visual testament to her aesthetic sensibilities and style.

Haydee leaves behind her daughter, C Haydee Mas Jr., and son-in-law, Patrick Davis; as well as her two darling grandchildren, Austin and Diandra Ryan-Mas. She spent her final weeks in her home, surrounded by family and friends, ordering impromptu pedicures, and mysteriously getting up in the night to fold laundry. She is now once again with her beloved Enrique. 

A Mass service will be held at St. Ambrose church in Salt Lake City, Utah on Tuesday June 28th at 10:00 a.m.

A celebration of her life will be held at her daughter’s home in Salt Lake City on Sunday June 26th at 5:00 p.m.