Lucrezia Virginia Borda, 88, passed away the morning of Tuesday, November 9th, 2021.  The daughter of Rose and Pasquale Borda who came from Italy through Ellis Island and settled in Brooklyn NY.

Lucrezia, known simply as “Lulu”, was born in Brooklyn. She was the youngest sister to Natale Lorenzo (Larry) Borda and Elena (Honey) Marie Boehling, both of whom preceded her in death.  Lu, had an incredible sense of humor and a sharp wit. From a very young age, she had a deep love for animals, especially dogs. She would often say God loved dogs so much, that HE gave them HIS name backwards.

Lulu worked as a legal secretary for the New York City Law Firm, “Kenyon and Kenyon.” There, we were told by her peers, she could get away with saying and doing anything because she was funny and had great delivery.

Since Lulu was most extraordinary, we thought a typical obit was much too conventional. So, we thought we’d let her nieces and nephews speak about the woman that influenced them all so deeply.

Donna Rose: To me Lulu was a best friend, someone I confided in. When I was young, I would stay with her at her apartment in Brooklyn. We would stay up and watch movies, order pizza at midnight, there were no rules like my parent’s house. We would go to A&S department store in Brooklyn and she would always let me pick out anything I wanted because she wasn’t paying, she was charging it. Later of course, I adopted the same way of life, much to my husband’s displeasure. I got to experience my first New York City Opera. She took to me to Radio City Music Hall and the best restaurants throughout Manhattan, we did it all. Lu, lived large and shared it with all of us kids. I enjoyed every second with her. When I became a mother, she was there. We loved to go out East on Long Island with my other aunt, her sister, Honey.  We would laugh until we cried. She was hysterical but also I truly believe she was an angel.  I was her “go-to” when she became older. I would be there by her hospital bed for all of her surgeries. She was strong. A fighter. She was a breast cancer survivor. Later, she survived so many medical emergencies including open heart surgery. She was so strong and handled it all with such grace. Even at the very end, after giving her some water, she was able to whisper a thank you. I’ve never known someone so appreciative for even the smallest of things. She was the best and has left a hole in my heart. Like she always said to me, and it will ring true for the rest of my life… “we are two together.” I love you Lulu.

Jimmy Joseph: Lulu always made you feel special.  My favorite memories as a kid, were getting to sleep over at her apartment in Bay Ridge Brooklyn. She would go to work at the law firm in Manhattan and come back and make our favorite meal with the best desserts. We loved piling up on her bed as kids and watching movies. She always made us feel so safe, so even if it was a scary movie, we were never really afraid. She was overly generous. She was kind and warm. She is irreplaceable and I am a better person because of her.

Laura Jean:  There are so many adjectives to describe her- top few would be loving , generous and funny;)  I can remember growing up and going to her apt in Brooklyn for holiday dinners:) After dinner we would all pile up in her bed and watch movies. Then staying up late and eating cold pizza for breakfast … she was so much fun! As we grew up she would love to take us out to dinner, especially Christmas Eve:) She also liked to collect coasters from different restaurants. One time at Olive Garden she spotted a new stack of coasters and said “we hit the Mother lode!” I never laughed that much! She had a love for dogs that we all have now!  She said she never met a dog she didn’t love! (so true)She had her favorites… Beau, Bonnie, and Buffy ….BBB….Kaidy too!  Whenever she a problem with her dogs she would call me to get my advice …. that’s how she gave me my nickname “Doc”. She loved her horses too… especially Secretariat. She loved OTB and Belmont too:)  She was so special to all of us- irreplaceable! The best Aunt there could ever be…. she will be missed beyond words and she was so very “Dearly Loved!”  I Love you Lu….. Love Doc

Stephen Lawrence: Any time with Lu was always fun. I’ll always remember getting to go to the circus with her and the entire family. She would also take us to the movies and I remember getting to see “Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid.” We all loved visiting her at her apartment in Brooklyn. Taking the elevator to the fourth floor, we’d arrive to the smell of lamb permeating throughout the hallway. I’m not sure I liked that smell but I do remember it.  She always had a dog, sometimes more than one. Beau was the poodle she had when we were kids. We would sit at the dinner table and he would go to bite our ankles if we moved. Even though he didn’t have teeth, it was still scary.  I will miss you Lulu. Like I once told her, and I’ll say it again; It’s better in Brooklyn.

Suzanne Maria: To me, Lu wasn’t so much of an aunt but a friend. She would always sign her cards and letters; “your cousin, in Brooklyn”, along with the names of her dogs, past and present.  She went overboard with her generosity, always giving me the best there was, from dinners, to clothes, to plays and concerts. She gave me culture, NYC style.  I saw my first Broadway play, “Annie” with her. Later, as I got older, she surprised me with tickets to see my favorite actress, Glenn Close in “Sunset Boulevard.” When I was a young teenager, we would go shopping at Macy’s on 5th Ave, and she always wanted to treat me to a new coat or jacket. To both of us, those places seemed a bit fancy, and she enjoyed knocking it all down a notch by being a bit of a joker.  If you can picture these “well-to-do” customers walking into Macys, only to look up and see a woman standing on a display, pretending to be a mannequin. I was mortified and she couldn’t stop laughing. She always pushed me to chase my dreams and was proud of anything I accomplished. Lu, your love and support made a difference. You were my first best friend and you are forever and always with me. I now overspend, use credit cards like I don’t have to pay them back and try to help every dog I see… You live on! I love you more…5&20!!

Francesca Zabkowski: While living in Brooklyn, my mom would leave me with Lulu on Saturdays, while she went off to run her errands.  I was there to do my homework, but Lulu, had other plans. She would ask me if I wanted to go to the Belmont Race Track. So, we would hop onto a bus and off we went. She would say it was okay and that my homework could wait till the next day.  We always sat in the restaurant by the window so we had a great view of the races.  She taught me how to bet whether it be the odds, the exacta, long shots or the triple. My mother, when she found, was not thrilled about any of this.  But Lu, wasn’t too afraid of my mom, who was her sister, so that didn’t stop us.  This is how I remember Lulu; full of life, a rule breaker and someone who walked to the beat of her own drum. She passed on her zest for life to all of us she helped raise. I love you Lulu.

Lulu is survived by her sister-in-law, Catherine Borda. They lived like the “Odd Couple” for the last 15 years in Massapequa Park.

Her nieces, Donna, Laura, Suzanne, and Francesca.  Her nephews, Jim and Stephen. Her great nephews, Brendan, Nicholas, Michael, Danny, Stephen, Sonny, and Michael Wayne.  Her great nieces, Kristen, Alex, Jessica and Elaina.

Lucrezia loved animals so to honor her, donations may be made to:

Ruff House Rescue: https://ruffhouserescue.org/donate

Long Island Game Farm: https://www.longislandgamefarm.com/donate-sponsor-an-animal/