Cipriana Alvarez, 80 years young, passed away on June 23, 2026.

She was born on a small farm town in Espinar, Cuzco, high in the mountains of Peru before she moved to Lima. She carried her birthplace with her always, even after life took her far from it to a home in Forest Hills, Queens, where she spent most of her years.

Cipriana left Peru and found her way to New York for one reason, to give her children a better life. She worked at Sky Chefs and raised a family, and she never once stopped giving. She was proud and stubborn and generous and gentle, the kind of woman who put everyone ahead of herself without ever being asked.

She loved to laugh. She loved to cook. She loved to garden. But most of all she loved her family. Her heart lived in two places at once, with the people she loved in Peru and the people she loved in New York, and she spent her life moving between them. When she wasn't in either place, she was off seeing the world. She had an appetite for good food and good times, but more than anything, for a good life.

She taught us all the same things, mostly by living them- work hard for what you deserve, be gentle with those who need it, and love everyone.

Cipriana is survived by her daughters Elizabeth, Maria, Dina, and Madeline. Her sons Javier, Giancarlo, and John. Her grandchildren Jean-Marie, Sophia, Max, and Josephine. Her sisters Felicitas, Susana, and Gerarda and her brother Venancio in Peru. She leaves behind a family on two continents, all of us shaped by her love.

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