Lidia’s Guestbook Submissions

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.

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 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!

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 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 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.

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 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.

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.

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

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

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.

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)

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 )

I'm saddened and shocked to hear this news and send my warmest condolences to Lidia's husband, wonderful children, family, colleagues and friends. We are all the better to have had Lidia in our lives. Thank you to Schulich for creating a scholorship in her honor.

Lidia was such a force of positivity. I worked with her for a brief few months in KPMG but the impression she left on me will always stay with me. Her love for her family, outdoors and food is something I will always remember. And Portugal! She could talk endlessly about the beautiful country and encourage everyone she met to visit!
My thoughts and prayers are with her family.

Deus leva os que mais quer.
So long my dear.
Rui Pereira

I'm very grateful to have worked with Lidia. Her brilliant mind and laser focus made her a master of her profession.
Lidia made conversation easy, and when she talked about her family and travel her eyes would dance and you could see and feel the passion and love she had for both.
Lidia has left a deep footprint in our Schulich hearts and will be very missed. May Daniel, Hanna and Miguel find peace knowing their wife/mom was amazingly respected and appreciated amongst her colleagues. Susan Kimberley

I hope that Lidia’s family knows that during the time she spent with us, she was appreciated, cherished, and loved. I feel very privileged that Lidia chose me to be part of her team. I miss her laughter, the phrases, and the expressions she would use. Hearing Lidia speak sounded like home to me and filled me with nostalgic joy everyday. My heart is filled with happiness remembering the mischievous smiles we would share when we were having too much fun at work. Lidia loved making everyone feel special, even if it meant sending an email in all caps, with extra exclamation marks and a few emojis. She was my greatest supporter and tirelessly pushed me to look ahead and plan for greater things. I am in awe of her unmatched kindness and generosity. Lidia was generous in every way. She was even generous in her language, always excited to celebrate others and constantly extending compliments. As Lidia shared her life and her love for her family with us, we also felt comfortable sharing our lives with her. My family loved hearing about how happy I was working under Lidia’s supervision because they knew that I felt cared for and valued. I welcomed work challenges because I knew that we could meet any challenge together. During the two years we worked together, I aspired to be worthy of Lidia’s constant support and trust. I realize that most of my work colleagues will only have a limited picture of what out team was like. They didn’t get to see how the bond between our small group grew over the past year. We were looking ahead and excited to be in each other’s company again soon. Even though our team will not be able to realize our plans of being together again, I know that we will carry Lidia’s lessons and example with us. I will be forever grateful for the blessing of having crossed paths with Lidia in my life. I’m not sure that the right words exist to express how wonderful and special Lidia is to me. I feel very fortunate to able to share my memories and I would like to extend my thanks to Daniel, Hanna and Miguel for allowing us to have an opportunity to honour Lidia and celebrate her beautiful life.

Lidia you will always be with us, between us. You conquered the world with your smile, energy and spirit and this will never leave us.
I will miss your laughs, your love for friends and family, your love for Portugal, your love for always learn more, your desire to be more, to give more ... and to return home!
No words can describe this moment and our feel of lose that seems don't disappear, the why? it will remain our search in the future and certainly one day we will get there ... you will leave us to there.
You lived intensively so you lived fast, nothing was left undone or unsaid, so you where everything to everyone.
Take care of us, we will never forget YOU!

Lidia will always remain in our thoughts!!

She was a great person, very good colleague and a very helpful person. I used to have great conversations with her and i will never forget her kindness.

Hanna & Miguel - Please accept my deepest condolence and I can tell you that you mother was a very hard working woman

Daniel - I know how it feels loosing a great partner and please accept my condolence

We will miss you Lidia and May God give you eternal rest and the family the strength to bear the great pain.

Remembering Lidia's gentle soul will forever remain in our hearts. May she rest in peace!

My sympathies to Lidia's whole family. Lidia was an amazing collegue and I truly miss her. I hope you have no more sorrow

I always appreciated Lidia's pleasant demeanour and professionalism in all of our interactions here at Schulich. She had a wonderful smile and delightful sense of humour which always put people around her at ease. As a work colleague, Lidia was a fount of knowledge who always came prepared to answer any and all questions and provide guidance when necessary. She will be dearly missed and I'd like to offer my deepest sympathies to her family.

Always smiling, always friendly, always kind - you will be missed Lidia.

My deepest condolences to Lidia's friends and family. My heart goes out to you. May she rest in peace.