Sonia Mercedes Morales Puopolo

Sonia Puopolo, at 58; patron of the arts, philanthropist

By Globe Staff, 10/4/2001

Sonia Mercedes Morales Puopolo of Dover, a prominent philanthropist and Democratic Party supporter, died Sept. 11 aboard American Airlines Flight 11. She was 58.

Born in Lares, Puerto Rico, Mrs. Puopolo attended the University of Puerto Rico and received a master's degree in education from Boston University.

With her husband, Dominic, Mrs. Puopolo contributed significantly to the Democratic Party and was a top backer of the election efforts of former president Bill Clinton and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Numerous other service organizations in New England, Florida, and California were aided by the donations and service of Mrs. Puopolo. Among her favorite charities were the American Red Cross, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, AIDS Action Committee, and the American Cancer Society.

In Massachusetts, Mrs. Puopolo also supported the Nantucket Cottage Hospital, the Nantucket Animal Hospital, and the Nantucket Historical Association. She was also a patron and lifetime member of the Friends of the Emerson Majestic Theatre.

A former ballet dancer, Mrs. Puopolo served on the board of the Miami City Ballet.

"My wife was a very, very spiritual woman," her husband told The Boston Globe last month. "Her whole life was about nonviolence."

In addition to her husband, Mrs. Puopolo leaves her two sons, Dominic Jr. of Boston and Mark Anthony of Los Angeles; a daughter, Sonia, of Dover; her father, Armando Morales of Orlando, Fla.; two sisters, Lucy Maldonado and Margarita Morales, both of Orlando; and two brothers, Jose Morales of Boston and George Morales of Puerto Rico.

A celebration of her life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday in Trinity Church in Boston.

Editorial obituary published in THE BOSTON GLOBE on October 4, 2001.