Mercelena Portillo Holskin
Funeral Service: October 20, 2024 11:15 AM
Cemetery: Beth David Cemetery
300 Elmont Road,
Elmont, NY 11003
Notes:
Graveside Service,
Visitation will be Sunday 9:30am – 10:30am at the Funeral Home
Gutterman’s Inc.
175 N. Long Beach Rd. Rockville Centre, NY
Mercelena Portillo Holskin, 68, of Miami, passed away on Friday Oct. 11, 2024, peacefully in her sleep.She was born on November 10, 1955 in Valera, Venezuela. She was the daughter of Dr. Luis Guillermo Portillo and Isabel Lugo. Merce (as she was Known) was a pediatrician and neonatologist in Venezuela, after graduating from La Universidad del Zulia and Universidad Central, she worked in various hospitals and clinics in Venezuela before coming to the United States in 2000.
She was devoted to her family including her siblings Alix, Isabel, Luis, and Jose Portillo Lugo, Maria Estilita and Maria Rosa Portillo Montiel and their spouses Fernando Lozano, Maria Contreras, Morteza Sayarpour and Ricardo Millan. She also adored and doted on her nieces and nephews: Gloria Isabel, Luis Alejandro (Cynthia), Luis Guillermo (Guicela), Isabel Cristina (Hector), Mariana, Ricardo Andres, Maria Andrea, Sarah Isabel and Daniel; and grand-nieces and nephew: Sofia, Leia and Liam.
Merce met the love of her life her husband, Ira Holskin, walking on the beach. She and Ira were were soon married, and they lived at the Jockey Club in Miami. She became the stepmother to Peter (Carey) Holskin, Patti (Mike) Stern, and Judy (Louis) Solomon. Her great joy was becoming the step-grandmother to Matthew (Alex) Holskin, Leigh (Vivian) Solomon, Rachel (Badre) Holskin, Jennifer (Mark) Schlimovitch, Dan (Serena) Stern and Lily Stern. She was known as ” Mama Merce” to her great-granddaughters Safiya, Sahar, Rita, and Samara who adored her.
She became an LPN while in Miami and last worked caring for her patients at Gentiva Hospice. Merce was dedicated to the patients she served always trying to make their life and their lives of their families a little bit easier. Merce was a joy to her family and step- family, she was selfless and put other’s needs before her own. She was always the first call whenever there was a children’s medical question, and she would have travelled anywhere to be of help to her family.
She was predeceased by her parents, Dr. Luis Guillermo and Isabel Lugo and her husband, Ira Holskin.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to https://www.stjude.org