Lidia’s Guestbook Submissions

Dear Daniel, Hanna and Miguel,

I'm so sorry to hear Lidia's passing. I'm stunned by this news!
" minha querida amiga Lidia, sua amiga do Brasil continuara orando por Vc e sua familia! Nos encontraremos em algum lugar espiritual, com certeza!"
My thoughst and prayers are with you all!
Cris Bonini
(a friend from KPMG Brasil who met Lidia in the UK )

Querida Lídia
Desde os corredores do ISCSP, quando te conheci, sempre me pareceu que levaste uma vida com sentido, dirigida com uma energia imparável, sempre de braços abertos a acolher os cheiros, os sabores, as pessoas do sítio, do local, do país onde vivias e em todos eles deixaste amigos. Parar a vida no meio da corrida, no meio de tudo o que ainda tinhas para dar parece injusto, incompleto, inaceitável. Mas quem não ambiciona uma passagem em que o momento seja curto, indolor, definitivo? E, por outro lado, quando é oportuno [nunca] esse momento se sempre sentimos a força do sonho e do futuro? Nunca há um momento para a morte. É sempre prematura, é sempre dolorosa para quem fica. Mas paremos para pensar. Quem somos depois da morte, onde nos instalamos? Pelo menos, no coração dos que nos amam, no exemplo do que fizemos, do que inspirámos, da memória daqueles com quem nos cruzámos.
Viveste intensamente e conheceste bem as geografias do mundo. Em Moçambique conheceste o teu companheiro Daniel e lançaste o futuro aí. Foste mãe da Hanah e do Miguel ( aos três um abraço muito forte). São eles quem te continua. A tua ausência física tem de ser compensada pelas raízes da tua dádiva, da tua memória, do teu exemplo. Vão crescer ainda mais fortes.
Aqui ficamos, por enquanto. A celebrar os ausentes e algumas ausências mais definitivas. Mas da vida levamos tão boas memórias e o privilégio de termos crescido com amigos que valem a pena. Até sempre.
(Uma foto do José Alex Gandum com a Lidia Serras e o Nuno Maia Silva)

Schulich has truly lost a valuable member of its family and it is with great sadness I say that. It is hard to believe that we will not be greeting each other in the halls when we return. I will surely miss her. My condolences to her family.

Please accept my deepest sympathy for your loss. She was a wonderful woman and I will truly miss her.

Dear Daniel, Hanna, and Miguel,

It has taken me a long time to find the right words and I am still not sure, I have them yet. So many things to say, I will miss hearing Lidia say "Oh God, Michelle" when I would say something inappropriate in a department meeting (usually related to liquor & LCBO gift cards); I was looking forward to going to Portugal to see the country in Lidia's eyes, because she loved her country so much (was waiting for my sons to get a bit older, so I could go without them!); I received a couple of beautiful emails during this time, one was a poem, which I will share with you (my apologies if it was already shared)

As I Sit in Heaven

As I sit in heaven
I will watch you everyday
I will let you know with signs
That I never went away
I will hear you when you’re laughing
And watch you as you sleep
I will even place my arms around you
To calm you as you weep
I may see you wish the days away
Begging to have me home
So I will try to send you signs
So you know you are not alone
Don’t feel guilty that you have
Life that was denied to me
Heaven is truly beautiful
Just you wait and see
So live your life, laugh again
Enjoy yourself, be free
Then I will know with every breath you take
You’ll be taking one for me.

Until we are together again in Heaven

And another email reminded me that although Lidia had an amazing life, full of many exciting chapters, our team was honoured with being her teammates & friends in the final chapter of her wonderful life.

I miss her deeply and I send you my deepest condolences

Michelle Hughes

Lidia,
You led your team here at SSIR with passion, care, intelligence, and above all else, with love. Your vibrant personality will leave a lasting mark on all of those who had the privilege to work alongside you. During periods of rapid change and complexity, your guidance was a true mark of excellence. Much more than just an exemplary professional, it is your character and infectious positivity that will be missed most.

Rest peacefully, Lidia.

I was very shocked and saddened to hear of Lidia's passing. I worked with Lidia on the recruitment and admissions team at Schulich for about a year. She was a very passionate and hardworking professional, who was always so full of life and energy. My heart goes out to her family, friends, and colleagues. My sincerest condolences.

Sorrow fills our heart with this sad news. I have known Lidia since she joined Schulich in 2018 and will always remember her as a friendly, loyal and hardworking colleague. She had the interest of the students and the reputation of the school in everything she did. She will be missed very much. My thoughts and prayers are with Daniel, Hanna and Miguel during this difficult times.

I was saddened to hear this. I still remember the sunny and bright day when I was accepted by Schulich, that is one of my most proud moment in my life, and your name and signature closely connect with it. You will be deeply missed. We will never forget you.

I had the privilege of working with Lidia in Student Services and International Relations. She was an incredible colleague and as we got to know each other as colleagues we became friends.

Lidia is one of the smartest and hardest working people I’ve ever met. She was committed to the school and fiercely devoted to her team. No matter what was put in front her, she did whatever it took to achieve the best possible outcome. She took such pride in her work and wanted the best.

Lidia was such a cosmopolitan person. She had travelled the world, loved to explore different cultures and new experiences. No matter where she went in the world she could connect effortlessly with other people, including the many prospective students she met along the way.

Lidia loved her family dearly and was so proud of her beautiful children Hanna and Miguel.

Lidia was taken from us all too soon and I am so deeply saddened that she is no longer here. My sincerest condolences go out to her family, her team, and her colleagues.

I loved how Lidia brought a European flair to the office. I will miss our "sink" chats about food, our kids and whatever else happened to come up in conversation.
My deepest condolences go out to her husband and children.

I worked with Lidia in the past two years. I still remember we use to have a little talk in the morning by the sink when we prepared for the morning coffee. We talked about work, weather, clothes, and travel… She was a wonderful colleague with full of energy, passion about everything! Lidia will be greatly missed by all who knew her!

My deepest condolences to Lidia’s family!

Dear Daniel, Hanna and Miguel:

I imagine hearing Lidia described as "a force to be reckoned with" is nothing new to you - she was exactly that. She brought a passion and energy to Student Services that we are all better for. Her dedication to those people and things she loved; her honesty and empathy; her smile and laughter; and her fabulous collection of colourful scarves that could brighten even the gloomiest of days will be greatly missed. If the Lidia we knew as a colleague and friend is even an ounce as wonderful as the woman you knew as your wife and mother, we should consider ourselves very lucky indeed. May you find comfort and joy in her memory.

I will always remember her warmth in our interactions, the enthusiasm with which she represented the School to applicants, the the passion with which she represented the interests of the students to the School. We mourn the loss of an excellent colleague and of a valuable member of the Schulich community. It is my hope that we will honor her name by demonstrating the same warmth, passion, and enthusiasm, that she brought to the institution. Miguel, Hanna, and Daniel - I am so sorry for your loss.

Lidia was so passionate about the Masters students, and her recruitment team, and would do anything to ensure they were well represented at all opportunities. We were very lucky to have her on our team at SSIR for these few years, and to have the chance to work together. We miss her terribly.

I am so glad to see the scholarship for masters students in her name, as she always championed support for her students! This would have made her very happy! Her dedication to students will leave a legacy at Schulich.

Our thoughts are with Lidia's family and her colleagues at Schulich. From the QS team

Such an untimely loss of a great colleague. Lidia's energy, worldliness, positive attitude, generous nature, and a wealth of global experiences made every interaction with her most enjoyable, productive, rewarding but also pleasant and gratifying. I always learned something from talking with Lidia and will continue to draw lessons from each of those instances.

Dear Daniel, Hanna and Miguel:
Lidia was such a joy and fierce presence in SSIR. I will cherish the conversations we had about being strong resilient women in the workforce, and will miss her dropping by to my office to have a chat. Her bright smile will be missed by everyone. May her memory be a blessing.

My condolences to Daniel, Hanna, and Miguel, as well as to her family.
I had the pleasure to meet Lidia only by Zoom, but it was an amazing experience. There are people when you meet them personally you can feel good energy that surrounds and emanates, Lidia was the person that could do that even though an online meeting.
She was one of the reasons that I decided to continue in my path towards my master's at Schulich and I will try to match her expectations.

I was shocked to hear the tragic news of Lidia's sudden passing. She was a delightful person to work with, a dear colleague and trusted advisor on matters both professional and personal. This extended to life's little pleasures (such as espresso) to our shared passion regarding travel. It was because of Lidia's gracious advice that I visited her home country Portugal in 2019. Whenever I look at those pictures.....I will think of her....and a tear will come to my eye.
To her family......your grief must be so overwhelming.....but remember that she loved you so much and wanted your futures to be bright.
On behalf of my wife Dorit and myself, please accept our heartfelt condolences on this loss.....and may your memories only bring you comfort.

When Lidia first joined the team, you could sense that change was coming. She encompassed all the traits of a great leader - driven, knowledgeable, understanding and approachable. She constantly pushed the envelope when it came to recruitment ideas and was always open to trying others' suggestions.

I will miss seeing her bright smile at meetings, waving to her on the subway train and bumping into her at events. I feel incredibly lucky to have met and worked with her, and glad that we are able to honour her with a scholarship. My deepest condolences to Lidia's family and friends.

I will miss Lidia's engaging smile and hearing her laughter in the halls of the Student Services Unit. My heartfelt condolences to the family.

Flower fades when summer dies. What charming fragrance left in people's heart will last eternally.
May there is no pain nor disease in the heaven!

I am extremely saddened by Lidia’s passing. I started working with her in July 2020. My interactions with her had been very pleasant. She was a capable recruitment officer and admitted many good students for our MF program. She was very devoted to all recruiting events. Carol and I had a zoom meeting with Lidia on Monday January 18 and we talked about the upcoming “experience Schulich “ which will take place on January 30. Lidia and I were planning to meet again before Friday. However, we received the sad news on Thursday. I could not believe that this was happening to her. She was a wonderful colleague and I will miss her dearly. My thoughts are with her family.

In my relatively short time working at Schulich, I got to know Lidia briefly and was struck by her uncommonly friendly and welcoming manner. We met last summer to discuss Masters programs, she was so knowledgeable, passionate yet open-minded on ways to make the program as good as it could be. My sincere condolences to Lidia's family at this difficult time.