Obituary

We gather together not to mourn a loss, but to celebrate the life of Rosalinda Casanova, a very loved sister, aunt, cousin and friend. “Lulu” as she was known by many, was the daughter of Filiberto and Maria del Refugio Casanova. She was born on June 17, 1969 in Santa Ana, CA. Lulu was the youngest of 9 children, 5 sisters and 3 brothers. Despite many challenges she endured along the way, God brought her to earth in brilliant armor: sharp as a nail, undeniable intelligence, an impressive memory, solid athletic skills and a megawatt white smile that made her unforgettable.

Lulu loved deeply and showed this love in her own unique style.  She had a giving heart; Her love was often expressed through giving gifts. Those closest to her would tell you that she described them as “treasures.” Many treasures stayed behind with her discriminating taste for all things beautiful embedded in them, it was her way of genuinely telling you, “thank you for caring for me.” Lulu was also very affectionate and loved to shower you with hugs when she was feeling good. She smothered her young nephews with kisses and always reminded them to take care of their mother, and to not let any girl break their heart. Lulu was feisty, loyal and protective of her family. She once told her niece’s boyfriend to never dare be unfaithful or she would go after him with her baseball bat. Truth be told, word on the street was that she was a great baseball player. Needless to say, her niece’s boyfriend did stay faithful, he knew what was best. Lulu loved her friends as family, many of them she kept from early childhood and until their last breath.

Lulu was in a whole league of her own, downright fun and full of life. A fond memory of her was seeing her drive up in her white Honda Civic hatchback with the words “CASANOVA” across her license plate, bumping “Push It” by Salt-N-Pepa super loud on her stereo. To her young nieces and nephews she was the emblem of “coolness,” and the one to credit for inspiring a growing generation of Casanovas to learn about Depeche Mode, The Pet Shop Boys, American Hip Hop and 1980s freestyle dance music. It will always be dear aunt Lulu who will be remembered, when Debbie Deb’s “Look out weekend” song comes on. This was cool Aunt Lulu, unapologetically living life to the fullest, to the beat of her own drum, and with a penchant for playing good music that spilled over to a younger Casanova generation.

Another special part about Lulu was her strong connection with all the dogs she cared for over the years, especially her dog “Susie.” To love Lulu was to accept and embrace all the unique parts of her, and to reciprocate the unconditional love and devoted companionship she always craved. This trait is possibly the reason she absolutely loved Susie and every dog that loved her deeply and helped her feel accepted without conditions.

To our dear Lulu that fought until the very end, please remember her for her tenacious soul, courage to live and ability to always be the life of the party. We know in our hearts that she would not want us to grieve for too long. Rather, Lulu would want us all to remember the good times we shared with her. To enjoy all that she reminded us to appreciate, which is not money nor material things but to be surrounded by family and to love one another. We were all touched by her presence and we are better today because of that.

It is not Goodbye, but see you later. We love you Lulu. You will live in our hearts forever.