Ursula Vera, the wife of the late city councilman Albert Vera, passed way on April 30. She was 74.
Vera had suffered from acute kidney disease for several years and was on dialysis during the last years of her life. Her husband, a beloved Culver City philanthropist, businessman and office holder, died last May.
The Veras owned the iconic Sorrento Italian Market, a Culver City landmark Italian deli that also sells imported wines, cheese and specialty items.
Julie Lugo Cerra, a News columnist and long-time friend of the Vera family, remembers visiting them with her late husband Sam.
“Sam said Ursula was beautiful, and not only looked like the Italian, but like Sophia Loren, while Albert looked like the German,” Cerra recalled.
A rosary will be held for Vera at Holy Cross Cemetery, 5835 W. Slauson Ave. in Culver on Thursday, May 5., where her husband is buried. A funeral mass will be held the following day at St. Augustine’s Church, 3850 Jasmine Ave.
Steven Gourley, who served with Albert Vera on the Culver City Council, remembered Ursula Vera’s unique ability to charm almost anyone. One of his favorite memories, he said, was a speaking engagement at to the Marina del Rey B’Nai B’rith. “I was picked up by the head of the club, who was a writer of MAD magazine,” Gourley recollected. “He tells me that the previous year Ursula had substituted for Albert at this same event. Ursula arrives and, not knowing what B’Nai B’rith is, she opens with a story about two Jewish dry cleaners. The audience sees this tall beautiful blonde woman, with a marked German accent telling a story about two Jewish dry cleaners, and freezes. You could hear a pin drop.
“But the story is kind and funny, and she gets a big laugh. The MAD magazine writer tells me that the audience fell in love with her that night.”
“Family was so important to Ursula,” Cerra said. “She loved Albert and her boys, and she was just ecstatic when (granddaughter) Alessandra was born. She could not get enough of her darling granddaughter.
Cerra recalled her friend as someone who craved out her own legacy independent of her husband’s with her own brand of humor, dedication to her family, philanthropy and grace.
“She was quick-witted, always had a twinkle in her eye, and spoke multiple languages with ease,” Cerra continued. “She was a wonderful cook, loved Mexican food etc., and always looked the fashion plate.
“But she always deferred to Albert, and stayed somewhat in the background.”
She is survived by her son, Albert Vera, Jr., and her granddaughter Alessandra. Her elder son Ralph proceeded her in death.
