Cristina Isabel Albronda, who was born in Cuba and later moved to Montauk, where, her family said, she “found her piece of heaven on earth,” died of cancer on Feb. 8. She was 68 years old, and had been ill for less than a year.
Ms. Albronda worked for many years in the restaurant industry. “Through her work, she was able to do what she loved: being connected with others, sharing good laughs, and engaging with members of her beloved community,” the family wrote.
She was born on Nov. 21, 1950, to Gregorio Valentin and the former Eusbia Castillo, and moved as a child, with her parents and six siblings, to Brooklyn. In 1973 she married Michael Albronda. They vacationed in Montauk in the 1980s and fell in love with what her family said was “a town with such natural beauty and a community which was uniquely protective of its identity.”
Ms. Albronda loved nature, and walked her dogs on Navy Road Beach almost every day. The family wrote that her “legacy of kindness, affinity for nature, strength, and passion lives on.”
In addition to her husband, she leaves two children, Christopher Albronda of Montauk and Ali Martell of South Kingston, R.I. She also leaves five siblings, Celeste Fundaro of Brooklyn, Celina Casiano of Union City, N.J., Alfredo Valentin of Orlando, Fla., Emilio Valentin of Puerto Rico, and Margot Valentin Saraiva of Kearny, N.J.
Her family will welcome friends at a celebration of her life on Sept. 9 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Montauket. Memorial donations may be made to the Kanas Center for Hospice Care, P.O. Box 1048, Westhampton Beach 11978.