Viola Vazquez passed away at Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, NJ, in the early morning hours of September 8, 2012 at the age of 86. She is survived by her husband Roland (New Jersey) and two children, Yolanda (California), and Roland Jr. (Iowa; married to Magdelena), as well as three siblings: Anna, Mary and Frank.
One of twelve children, she was born Viola Crucil in the midst of a European immigrant family in Ladysmith, British Columbia (Canada) to Frank and Mary Ann (nee Hocevar) Crucil on March 26, 1926. In her teens, she left Canada to study ballet, first in Seattle, Washington, before moving to New York City to pursue her calling in the arts and her passion of exploring different ways to move her body through space. One of her most important mentors was the renowned ballet teacher Margaret Craske. Viola performed in a variety of venues, including the Metropolitan Opera, Radio City Music Hall, Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, in Las Vegas shows, and as a female member of the Bob DeVoy trio, before retiring from professional dancing to have and raise her family.
She kept dancing as well, teaching ballet informally to many students. She loved, was loved, and will be missed