Melbourne Beach

Lila Emmons DiZefalo, born in NYC, March 1, 1924, transcended from home in peace May 28, 2012, with her husband of 52 years, Ray DiZefalo and her son, Chris Vance, holding her hands.
Lila had an extraordinary life inclusive of being the youngest woman pilot in America at the age of sixteen.
Brought up in Englewood, N.J., she lived in N.Y C., Tucson, Arizona, Hollywood and San Francisco, CA., Old Saybrook, CT and since 1990 lived in Indialantic and Melbourne Beach, Florida.
Lila embraced nature in its many facets, was a tennis instructor, loved the beach, was a great swimmer, a bicycle rider and loved to garden. She was a long time member and volunteer with the Marine Resources Council and a charter member of the Brevard MultiCultural Unity Council and a member of the Noetic Society.
Lila, moved by the courage of her convictions joined with Martin Luther King, Jr. during the planned march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama stating that, "if everyone is not free, then none of us are free!".
Lila was an avid reader and writer, including twenty journals covering trips taken around the world and across the USA. Lila wrote several short stories and a children's story. Beside her husband and son, Lila is survived by her sister, Elizabeth Von Vogt, in Nobleboro, ME. Lila is predeceased by her brother, John Ciellon Holmes, a writer of the Beat Generation.
Lila's last days were at home with the loving care of VITAS Hospice professionals.

Who Are You, Lila? The Woman I Love!
When you watch a spectacular sunrise, or a dramatic sunset.
When you watch ocean waves breaking along a sandy shore...
When you are privileged to see a blazing shooting star soar across a blue black sky. When you feel the urge to put your arms around the vibrancy emanating from a magnificent tree...
When you smile irresistibly at the wonder of what beauty and majesty our nation offers us... .the mountains, the rivers and lakes, the grand canyon, the desert, the plains, fields ofwheat, cathedral forests, the endless natural beauty that feeds your soul...
When you feel a soft breeze across your face riding your bike, enjoying the gift mother nature provides with each new day,
When you are intensely aware of nature's beauty forcing you to write your inner feelings...
When you inhale the fragrance of baking bread that you kneaded by hand...
When you feel the connection that comes with writing a letter by hand to your dose friends and family...
When you are compelled to dance to music filled with memorable moments in your life...
When you are absorbed in reading Whitman and quote passages you love...
When you are moved by the courage of your convictions to join Martin Luther King, Jr, in the planned march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama stating that, "if everyone is not free, then none of us are free!"
When you picket the launching of a nuclear submarine while your son is building them... When you march for peace over and over again in Washington, Connecticut and Florida...
When you write journals beautifully of trips around the world and across our country, rereading them over and over as a pleasurable way to rekindle precious memories... When you humbly and proudly recall that you were at the age of sixteen, the youngest woman pilot in America...
When your passion for the environment compels you to volunteer with the Marine Resources Council testing the Indian River Lagoon, co-hosting Weekly Brown Bag Lunches being a spotter for Northern Right Whales during calving season, gathering mangrove seedlings for future plantings and tracking turtles laying eggs on our beaches... When you say, "I love you", every chance you get to assure that you have made your feelings known to those you love...
When you have lived through the glories and pains of life and are thankful for the opportunity to experience all of it...
When you appreciate the many friends you have and consider the gift they represent in enriching your life...
When your spiritual gifts brought you insights beyond the theater of life, others were also touched and inspired by the grace you shared with them...
When you decide that leaving this experience without regret may pave the way for doing it again and fulfilling your karmic destiny...
For all of these and many more, when you are touched with awareness and wonder, then you know who Lila is .... and in my heart, will always be!

----------------------`Ray

At this time, services have not been scheduled.